Interplay originally believed that the PlayStation version of Descent would be just as popular as the PC offering. They even loaded their warehouse full with thousands of copies to ensure that no one would have a hard time finding one. Well, at the time, the PlayStation was growing enormously, but the consumers that bought the unit picked it up to play MK3, or some kind of fighting or sports title, not a complicated first-person war simulator. So Interplay is to this day stuck with an abundant amount of Descent, but that didn’t stop them from giving those who live off games like this another shot. Thus, Descent Maximum is upon us with a handful of new features and the oh-so-familiar disorienting gameplay.

While this `Maximum’ offering is basically the same as Descent 2 for the PC, a few things have been added and taken out as well. The new options are mainly level upgrades, but for a Descent junkie this is all that’s needed. Descent Maximum is in a way easier to understand than the original offering. Parallax Software added a new Guide Bot feature, which on certain levels will help you find keys, power-ups, and whatever you command it to find. The mission objectives are basically the same. Once again, you’ll need to either destroy a reactor or boss (which there are more of), and then find the exit before the whole mine blows.

Solid control is the key to success in this game, and luckily, Interplay has kept the user configure option in the game. Finding a suitable controller configuration will help ease the burden of being completely out of control on a new level. Most of the time you’ll find yourself in a state of disorientation, you don’t know what is up and what is down.

Descent Maximum is a surprise to all of us since Descent sold so poorly, but we love the game, and we hope that this time around you’ll come and see how much fun it can be. Plus, it’s one of the few games left to still use the prehistoric (or thought to be so) Sony Link cable.