Lifeforce Tenka

Last updated
Lifeforce Tenka
Codename: Tenka
Lifeforce Tenka Coverart.png
Cover art of Lifeforce Tenka
Developer(s) Psygnosis
Publisher(s) Psygnosis
Platform(s) PlayStation, Windows
Release
1997
  • PlayStation
    Windows
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Single-player

Lifeforce Tenka (known as Codename: Tenka in the US) is a first-person shooter for PC and PlayStation released in 1997 by Psygnosis. It is also known as just "Tenka" in some other forms of release.

Contents

The game is set in a futuristic action environment. The player character engages in battle with a number of various armed flying robots, stationary turrets, and bipedal creatures.

Plot

Lifeforce Tenka takes place in a future where a multinational conglomerate, Trojan Incorporated, is in the process of performing presumably unethical genetic experiments. Joseph D. Tenka, the protagonist, discovers the corporation's nefarious activities and sets about bringing them and their genetically engineered army down. [2]

Gameplay

The weapon design differs from similar games of the time in that instead of the player character acquiring stronger more powerful weapons to add to an accumulated arsenal, weapon modifications are picked up and added to the same weapon (known as the "Self-Generating Polymorphic armoury", or SG-26) and switched between as necessary.

Development

Development on the game began in earnest in January 1995. [3] The graphics in the game were created using Softimage 3D. [4] With Softimage as the construction tool, the programmers additionally wrote a suite of custom Softimage scene extraction utilities. [5] Since the PlayStation cannot perform perspective correct texture mapping, what senior programmer Martin Linklater called "a dynamic multistage clipping and meshing system" was incorporated in Lifeforce Tenka's graphics engine in order to reduce the effect of warping textures. [4]

The development team opted to make the game single-player only. Linklater explained: "The current design for the game does not lend itself to a two-player game. We have chosen to concentrate on a single-player game - which would be the most played version anyway". [5]

Reception

The PlayStation version received above-average reviews. Many magazines, including Game Informer , gave it positive to mixed reviews while the game was still in development. [7] [8] [9] [10] [15] [17] Critics deemed the graphics technically impressive due to the lighting effects and polygonal enemies, [2] [8] [13] [15] [17] but some found them overly dark, making most of the levels appear the same. [8] [15] Most also stated that the game simply did not offer enough new gameplay elements to make it stand out from previous first person shooters. [2] [8] [15] However, GamePro 's Atomic Dawg opined in an early review that the unintuitive controls for strafing and looking up and down are the game's weak point, and the familiarity of the gameplay is actually what saves it from mediocrity: "...just when you feel like swearing, some ugly mutant charges you, and the ensuing adrenaline rush reminds you why you play video games. Tenka is trigger-happy fun." [17] [lower-alpha 3] In addition, critics universally praised the bizarre and often gruesome enemy designs. [2] [8] [13] [15] [17] Crispin Boyer of Electronic Gaming Monthly stated in an early review that "the spider-head bad guys will give you nightmares", though he and his three co-reviewers said the game overall lacks excitement and variety. [8] A Next Generation critic similarly remarked in an early review: "Occasionally intense, Tenka's gameplay is solid but never frantically drives the player forward the way the best first-person shooters do." [15] IGN 's early review looked at it more optimistically, concluding: "At its heart, Tenka is a good, solid shooter. It won't knock Doom off its throne, but it is strong enough to contend." [13] Glenn Rubenstein of GameSpot judged that though Lifeforce Tenka was one of the better first-person shooters on the market, its high difficulty level and lack of innovation would make it unappealing to all but fans of the genre. [2]

Notes

  1. Four critics of Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the PlayStation version each a score of 6/10, 4/10, 7/10, and 5.5/10 in an early review.
  2. In GameFan 's viewpoint of the PlayStation version's European import, three critics gave it each a score of 89, 88, and 80.
  3. GamePro gave the PlayStation version two 4.5/5 scores for graphics and sound, 3.5/5 for control, and 4/5 for fun factor in an early review.

Related Research Articles

Wipeout is a series of futuristic anti-gravity racing video games developed by Studio Liverpool.

<i>Wipeout 2097</i> 1996 video game

Wipeout 2097 is a futuristic racing game developed and published by Psygnosis. It is the second installment released in the Wipeout series and the direct sequel of the original game released the previous year. It was originally released in 1996 for the PlayStation, and in 1997 for Microsoft Windows and the Sega Saturn. It was later ported by Digital Images to the Amiga in 1999 and by Coderus to Mac OS in 2002.

<i>Twisted Metal 2</i> 1996 video game

Twisted Metal 2 is the second game in the vehicular combat series, Twisted Metal. It was developed by the game studio SingleTrac, published by Sony, and released in 1996 for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows.

<i>The Adventures of Lomax</i> 1996 video game

The Adventures of Lomax is a platforming video game created by Psygnosis in 1996 for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. It is a spin-off video game of the Lemmings series. The player takes the role of Lomax, a lemming knight who must save his fellow lemmings who have been brainwashed by the wicked sorcerer Evil Ed.

<i>Formula 1 97</i> 1997 video game

Formula 1 97 is a racing video game developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Psygnosis for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. It is the sequel to the 1996 video game Formula 1 and was based on the 1997 Formula One World Championship. This was the last Formula One game to be made by the Bizarre Creations team, who moved on to create the successful Metropolis Street Racer for the Dreamcast and Project Gotham Racing for the Xbox.

<i>Alundra</i> 1997 video game

Alundra, released in Europe as The Adventures of Alundra, is an action-adventure video game developed by Matrix Software for the PlayStation, originally released in 1997.

<i>Overboard!</i> 1997 video game

Overboard! is a top-down adventure game, released by Psygnosis for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows in October 1997. It employs a light-hearted, all-ages piratical theme. A relatively low-key release for Psygnosis, the game was met with mixed reviews.

<i>Wipeout 3</i> 1999 video game

Wipeout 3 is a futuristic racing video game developed by Psygnosis exclusively for the PlayStation. The title is the fourth game in the Wipeout series, and was released in Europe and North America in September 1999. Players control anti-gravity ships and use weapons to force other contenders out of the race.

<i>RayStorm</i> 1996 video game

RayStorm is a 1996 vertically scrolling shooter arcade video game developed and published by Taito. It has been ported to several consoles, including the PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Xbox 360. Players control a starship, the R-Gray, in its mission to destroy the Secilia Federation before it destroys Earth.

<i>G-Police</i> 1997 video game

G-Police is a 1997 combat flight simulation video game developed and published by Psygnosis for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows.

<i>Colony Wars: Red Sun</i> 2000 video game

Colony Wars: Red Sun is a space combat simulator video game for the PlayStation developed by Psygnosis and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and Midway Games in 2000. It is a sequel to Colony Wars in 1997 and Colony Wars: Vengeance in 1998. Instead of being a starfighter pilot for the League of Free Worlds or the Colonial Navy, the player now assumes the role of a civilian miner-turned-mercenary.

<i>Thunder Truck Rally</i> 1997 video game

Thunder Truck Rally is a monster truck racing video game developed by Reflections and published by Psygnosis where players select a monster truck or otherwise 4X4 vehicle equipped with monster truck tires and have the option of either racing or crushing cars in an arena.

<i>Sentient</i> (video game) 1997 video game

Sentient is a first-person adventure developed by Psygnosis and released on the PlayStation and PC (DOS/Windows) in April 1997.

<i>Psybadek</i> 1998 video game

Psybadek is a video game for the PlayStation console. It was designed and released by Psygnosis on November 17, 1998. The game was sponsored by shoe company Vans.

<i>Krazy Ivan</i> 1996 video game

Krazy Ivan is a mecha first-person shooter released for PC, Sega Saturn and PlayStation in 1996 by Psygnosis.

<i>One</i> (video game) 1997 video game

One is a video game released for the Sony PlayStation in 1997. The player controls John Cain, a man who awakes with no memory and one of his arms replaced by a gun, through a series of three-dimensional action stages. One was met with divisive reviews from critics, with some lauding its visuals, level designs, and cinematic feel, while others argued that frustrations with the gameplay ruin what had been a promising game. The game was released as a PSone Classic for download on the PlayStation Network on March 18, 2010.

<i>Shadow Master</i> 1997 video game

Shadow Master is a video game developed by HammerHead and published by Psygnosis for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows.

<i>Andretti Racing</i> 1996 racing video game

Andretti Racing is a video game developed by American studios High Score Productions and Stormfront Studios and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1996, and for Windows in 1997. The game's title refers to legendary racing drivers Mario Andretti and Michael Andretti.

<i>Rush Hour</i> (video game) 1997 video game

Rush Hour, known in Europe as Speedster, is a video game developed by Clockwork Entertainment and published by Psygnosis for the PlayStation and Windows in 1997. The PlayStation version was ported to Japan and published by Nihon Bussan under the name BattleRound USA on April 29, 1998.

<i>Newman/Haas Racing</i> (video game) 1998 videogame

Newman/Haas Racing is a racing video game developed by Studio 33 and published by Psygnosis for the PlayStation and Windows in 1998. It has been described as similar to Psygnosis's Formula One series.

References

  1. "Tenka". Psygnosis . Archived from the original on 19 June 1997. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rubenstein, Glenn (18 July 1997). "Code Name: Tenka [sic] Review". GameSpot . Fandom. Archived from the original on 9 December 2004. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  3. "Behind the Screens" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 89. Ziff Davis. December 1996. p. 277. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  4. 1 2 "NG Alphas: Tenka". Next Generation . No. 16. Imagine Media. April 1996. pp. 63–65. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  5. 1 2 "NG Alphas: Tenka". Next Generation. No. 17. Imagine Media. May 1996. pp. 48–49. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  6. House, Michael L. "Codename: Tenka - Review". AllGame . All Media Network. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  7. 1 2 "Tenka (PS)" (PDF). Edge . No. 44. Future Publishing. April 1997. p. 76. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Smith, Shawn; Hsu, Dan; Boyer, Crispin; Williams, Ken "Sushi-X" (March 1997). "Codename: Tenka [EU Import]" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 92. Ziff Davis. p. 50. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  9. 1 2 Anderson, Paul; Reiner, Andrew; Storm, Jon (March 1997). "Codename: Tenka [EU Import]". Game Informer . No. 47. FuncoLand. Archived from the original on 21 October 1997. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  10. 1 2 Halverson, Dave "E. Storm"; Jevons, Dan "Knightmare"; Hodgson, David "Chief Hambleton" (March 1997). "Tenka [Import]". GameFan . Vol. 5, no. 3. Metropolis Media. p. 26. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  11. "Lifeforce Tenka (PC)". GameStar (in German). Webedia. March 1998.
  12. Fish, Eliot (July 1997). "Lifeforce Tenka (PS)" (PDF). Hyper . No. 45. Next Media Pty Ltd. pp. 42–43. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  13. 1 2 3 4 IGN staff (27 May 1997). "Codename: Tenka". IGN . Ziff Davis. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  14. Georg (May 1997). "Lifeforce Tenka (PS)" (PDF). Mega Fun (in German). No. 5/97. pp. 64–65. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Codename Tenka (PS)". Next Generation. No. 28. Imagine Media. April 1997. p. 118. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  16. Clarke, Stuart (26 July 1997). "Liberate an army". The Sydney Morning Herald . Fairfax Media. p. 191. Retrieved 2 June 2022 via Newspapers.com.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Atomic Dawg (March 1997). "Codename: Tenka". GamePro . No. 102. IDG. p. 72. Retrieved 7 January 2023.