CodeName: Tenka (PlayStation)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.1 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Glenn Rubenstein
• Reviewed on: 07/18/1997
• Updated on: 05/02/2000
• Released on: 05/31/1997
• Originally published on GameSpot: CodeName: Tenka (PlayStation) Review

If Hexen is Doom with spells and Descent is Doom in a ship (as a great man once said), then Codename: Tenka is Doom with crouching. With so many first-person shooters released over the last two years, it's really hard to bring something new to the table. And while Codename: Tenka tries to stand out from the crowd, only its crouch feature (which lets you crawl through air ducts and other low-level passages) truly sets it apart from the pack.

Codename: Tenka takes place in a future when Trojan Inc. is up to no good. In the process of its genetic experiments it crosses Tenka, a guy who just isn't having it. Armed with a gun and his wits he sets out to get even. What follows are 20 missions of flying bullets as Tenka sets out to take down Trojan Inc. and its genetically engineered army.

The graphics in Tenka are the game's strong point - there is no pixelation of objects as they move into the foreground, and everything looks smooth. The grimy-looking levels (think Aliens meets Resident Evil) are all rendered in glorious 3-D. The animation in the game flows well as you move about, and the lighting effects give the game a dark mood, a mood further complemented by the haunting soundtrack and cut-scenes that give you an idea of what's going on in Tenka's head (think disgruntled postal worker with a bad headache).

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