Support NeoGAF

[VALIS]

I just played this for about an hour and it's just about as fun as it ever was. I remember playing constantly through the Xmas season in 1995 and using it to show off my new Playstation to friends, as it had some amazing effects for the time. A modern update would be f'n fantastic. Or hell, polish it up a little and put it on XBLA.

Developed by Gremlin Interactive, UK
Published in the USA for the Playstation by Interplay, Dec. 12th 1995

Irvine, California, December 15, 1995

-- Interplay Productions announced today the release of the highly-anticipated PlayStation title Loaded. This, the first PlayStation title from Interplay, features impressive game art designed by Greg Staples of 2000 A.D. and Judge Dredd fame, and is licensed by Interplay from leading U.K. publisher/developer Gremlin Interactive Ltd.

This galactic shoot-'em-up game debuts on the Sony PlayStation with a SEGA Saturn release set to hit stores in the second quarter of 1996. Loaded features a fantastic soundtrack featuring the hits "R.S.V.P." and "Kick to Kill" from the British music sensation Pop Will Eat Itself. The title's features also include unique "terrain morphing," two-player simultaneous action, armed combat, puzzle-solving/strategy elements, a colorful selection of characters, and a plethora of impressive blasts and explosions, all set in a vast adventure environment backed by a pulsating soundtrack.

"We anticipate a great response from PlayStation gamers. This is the game they have been waiting for!" explained Karen Schohan, console marketing manager for Interplay Productions. "With such intense game play, and great music from Pop Will Eat Itself, we are sure this will be at the top of gamers' wish lists."

Sony has backed the title by confirming the title's inclusion in their Sony PlayStation Sampler 1, where Loaded is featured as an interactive demo. This sampler will be packaged with the hardware, showcasing PlayStation games that boast the capabilities of their system. Interplay is the only third-party publisher with a title on the sampler. Loaded, a contender for the number one position in the action game category, has also garnered widespread attention in game enthusiasts' magazines. The title has already appeared as the cover stories of four different magazines, and has already amassed several multi-paged magazine editorial in many others.

Since 1984, U.K. based Gremlin Interactive has been an award-winning developer and publisher of home interactive software for a variety of computer and console systems. Using only the most up-to-date technology and available equipment such as the in-house motion capture studio, Gremlin is presently developing titles for PC CD-ROM, Sony PlayStation, SEGA Saturn and other consoles. Gremlin Interactive titles include Slipstream 5000, Jungle Strike and Desert Strike on various platforms, the European mega-hits Zool and Zool 2, and the Top Gear series.

Founded in 1983, Interplay Productions is a company dedicated to manufacturing and distributing a wide range of award-winning entertainment and educational software designed by gamers, for gamers. Interplay, MacPlay (the company's Macintosh division), VR Sports (the company's sports division) and its affiliates release products for IBM and compatibles, CD-ROM and Macintosh as well as leading console game platforms. In 1995, Interplay acquired Shiny Entertainment, makers of the world-wide hit video game Earthworm Jim™. Interplay's OEM division represents over 250 titles from publishers including Davidson & Associates, Inc., Viacom New Media and Accolade to hardware manufacturers. Interplay titles include Descent, Cyberia, Virtual Pool, Dungeon Master II: The Legend Of Skullkeep, Stonekeep, Frankenstein: Through The Eyes Of The Monster™ and Loaded.

Classic-style action doesn't get much better than this by IGN Staff

November 25, 1996 - You know it doesn't get much better than this. There's nothing quite as satisfying as blowing the crap out of wave upon wave of faceless hordes, and Loaded certainly allows for that. Basically, you wander through fifteen levels of rooms, corridors, and trenches, blowing the living beejeezus out of anything that gets in your way. Along the way you collect the obligitory colored cards to pass through doors to blow away yet more guys. And while this may seem a might pointless, believe you me it's one hell of a gory ride. The top-down perspective gives you an excellent view of the bloody action, and there's a lot of it. Blood is liberally splattered everywhere, accompanied by the screams of the dying. The graphics are smooth and sharp, and the character design is hilarious. And while there are 15 waves, the gameplay doesn't really vary from the shooter norm. But who cares, eh? It's a blast.

7.5

There was even a comic book:

And a comic for the sequel:

How was the sequel, anyway? I know I bought it at the time, but I don't remember anything in particular.

 

[Warm Machine]

The sequel was the greatest offence to man kind.

 

[ghibli99]

I worked on this back in the day... pity the framedrops in this game, since I thought it looked great for an early-gen PS1 game. Some of my coworkers' names were misspelled for months in the credits and never got fixed, either. With the firing/movement system were more like Robotron/Smash TV, though.

 

[Kolgar]

Ah! And that awesome soundtrack, with Pop Will Eat Itself!

"Get up, get out! Get up, get out!"

I still play that in my home stereo on occasion.

But yeah, fond memories.

 

[GeoramA]

One of the best games ever

 

[NG_Kris]

Thanks for making me feel old... 1995?!

 

[Jonnyram]

I worked on this back in the day...

Oooh, were you still at Gremlin when Infogrames happened?

 

[DCharlie]

Loaded features a fantastic soundtrack featuring the hits "R.S.V.P." and "Kick to Kill" from the British music sensation Pop Will Eat Itself.

this helped the game a lot for me - it was something we'd not really had before and romping around splatting people with insanely large guns to Kick to Kill was awesome.

 

[belgurdo]

I used to play this all the time. Later levels got insane, though-streams and streams of space police or whatever they were

 

[<nu>faust]

upcoming Monster Madness (x360) reminds me of loaded