Chaser (video game)

Chaser
Developer(s)	Cauldron
Publisher(s)	JoWooD Productions
Engine	CloakNT
Platforms	Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	August 30, 2003
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Chaser is a first-person shooter action video game developed by Cauldron. The game is built on the CloakNT 3D engine. Unlike many contemporary science fiction first-person shooters like Halo: Combat Evolved, Pariah, WarPath, and Unreal Tournament 2004, Chaser's weapons fire modern day projectiles.

It was re-released on Steam and GOG.com in 2011.

Overview

The story of the game begins in the year 2044 on Mars with the UN establishing MARSCORP (Martian Security and Economics Committee) under the leadership of Samuel Longwood. In the years that follow, the UN gradually loses control of MARSCORP, mainly due to the non-transparent license policy of its director. Samuel Longwood uses his autonomous status to create vassal relations between the corporations and MARSCORP. The strong power position of MARSCORP is supported by the companies and thus they acquire additional rights and licenses. Samuel Longwood and his consortium become extremely wealthy from this arrangement. However, dissenting voices in MARSCORP begin to challenge Samuel Longwood's authoritarian policy. They demand the dismissal of Samuel Longwood as director and a complete redistribution of the mining rights.

John Chaser, the game's main character, awakens on board the space station H.M.S. Majestic. He does not know who he is, what he's doing there, why he is being sought by men in black uniforms and what they will do to him when they find him. The player's goal in the game is to find out who Chaser really is and why he is being hunted. The story leads the player from the H.M.S. Majestic to the fictional Montack City on Earth, then on to Siberia, and finally to Mars, where the trail ends and hopefully the truth can be found.

The main plot of the game is very similar to the story of Total Recall (1990 film) - a Hollywood movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger. As in Total Recall, in the end turns out that the main character of the game - John Chaser - in truth is a head of Samuel Longwood's (the director of MARSCORP) security - Stone - who has planned all this operation with Longwood and erased his own memory to become John Chaser and infiltrate the Mars Resistance force. There are differences, especially in the first part of the game taking place on Earth, and there is no human mutants on Mars in Chaser, but all in all Chaser is a video game obviously inspired by the story of Total Recall. The ending is almost 1:1.

Characters

• Samuel Longwood - Samuel Longwood uses his autonomous relations to create vassal relations between various corporations and MARSCORP. The unshakable position of power MARSCORP enjoys is supported by these companies, and they acquire additional rights and licenses as a result. Longwood and his consortium become extremely wealthy from this arrangement. However, dissenting voices in MARSCORP begin to challenge Longwood's authoritarian policy. They demand his dismissal as director and a complete redistribution of all mining rights. But Longwood keeps an ace up his sleeve for occasions like these.
• John Chaser - The main character. He's a man without any sense of identity or memory of his past. Caught in a bloody conflict, his unnatural ability to survive raises more questions than it answers.
• Mike Gomez - One of the most dangerous members of the Montack City Military Unit (MCMU). A descendant of Mexican immigrants, he worked his way up from the bottom. In the self-appointed city police, he is the only person who can help Chaser find his past - but his work comes at a price.
• Shimako Sakai - A hacking prodigy, there is no system too advanced for her and no information buried too deeply. She works for the underground and MCMU, and has immunity from both sides. She can truly take care of herself without outside help. ( Accidently Killed By Orders Of Valero )
• Kabir Ahmed - Kabir is the de facto leader of local smuggling operations. His working style is eminently professional, which encourages many of his clients. Unfortunately, his cowardice has earned him many enemies in the underground. He has maintained control through guile and cunning.
• Exoskeleton - Better known as the "living tank," the combat exoskeleton XV28c is equipped with a Tuz-42 heavy machine gun and the rapid-fire S12 rocket launcher. The suit's extreme firepower, superhuman abilities, and nigh-indestructible armor make it a very useful weapon. Rumors persist that jetpack-equipped exoskeletons are under testing and development.
• MCMU Commando - The members of the MCMU commandos have agreed to replace various body parts with cybernetic implants. A widely used cyberplant is the cybernetic eye, which grants thermal and night vision. Members of the corps enjoy legal immunity, a primary incentive for joining.

Soldiers

There are many different kind of soldiers you encounter in the game. These are the main types:

• Arctic Soldier - These special forces working in Siberia fight with tremendous skill, armed or unarmed. Their special thermal electric heating suits allow them to operate in temperatures as low as -50 C.
• Federal Army - The Federal Army recruits only the best of the best. These soldiers protect one of the most important commerce centers of the northeastern United States. These soldiers go through intensive combat training and do not hesitate to obey orders.
• MarsCorps - Any man who has encountered the MarsCorps and lived to tell the tale will not hesitate to call members of the MarsCorps perfect warriors. High marksmanship and excellent tactical skills make them deadly opponents. Combat, research, and elite military personnel come together in special training camps called "Euklides." These are hidden underground, beneath Mars' polar ice caps. There, in the most inhuman conditions, Samuel Longwood's men become the perfect fighting machines.

Multiplayer

The gameplay is reminiscent of the Quake series due to its fast pace. The game still has an active multiplayer scene. However, GameSpy Arcade stopped supporting the game in 2012; no game servers show up under the multiplayer tab of the original game's menu. The multiplayer community (active since the game's release in 2003) created their own multiplayer launcher called the CGP Launcher, which lets players view, join and create their own servers. Despite the game's infamous glitches in the story mode, the game can be easily modded and patched. This has allowed for developers in the community to create a stable experience for the multiplayer.

There are 12 official maps and over 300 community made maps. These maps make up the gameplay over four different game modes:

• ShockTroops (ST) - Two opposing teams have at it, the "Government Forces" vs. the "Law Breakers". Objectives vary from eliminating all opponents and stealing important objects to defusing missiles. Each player can gain rank points to obtain higher ranks in order to earn more money for a wide variety of weapons.
• Deathmatch (DM) - A free for all with an optional time limit and frag limit.
• Team Deathmatch (TDM) - A continuous battle between two teams, players respawn immediately after being killed. A time limit and frag limit are optional.
• Capture the Flag (CTF) - Two opposing teams must try and capture each other's flag and bring it to their own base to score points. Players respawn throughout the battle after being killed.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings 69.96% Metacritic 66/100 Review scores Publication Score GameSpot 8.0/10 IGN 7.5/10

Chaser received mixed reviews from critics. The game currently holds a 66 out of 100 rating at Metacritic and a 70.04% ranking at GameRankings. Scott Osborne of GameSpot gave the game an 8.0 out of 10 rating, saying that Chaser offers "loads of thrilling, old school shooter action". Chris Hudak of IGN rated the game a 7.5 out of 10 rating for "cinematic presentation" and "artful surprises". The game achieved cult status on the internet following a multi-part play through by Inside Gaming (now known as FunHaus).

Playthrough Review

In late 2013 the YouTube channel Inside Gaming started a 16 part playthrough of Chaser thanks to the game being selected on their show Steam Roulette. During each video the hosts riff on Chaser, JoWood Productions and the glitchy gameplay.

See also

• Total Recall (1990 film)

External links

• Chaser Community Portal
• Chaser on Steam
• Chaser Multiplayer Demo
• Chaser at MobyGames