Defcon 5

• Title — Defcon 5 • Developer — Millennium Interactive • Publisher — PlayStation Saturn MS-DOS 3DO GoldStar LG Electronics • Platforms — PlayStation, Sega Saturn, MS-DOS, 3DO • Released — PlayStation24 November 1995 Saturn MS-DOS 1995 3DO 1996 • Genre — Action-adventure, first-person shooter • Modes — Single-player

• Illustration — The main lobby of the Admin block. Tyron corporate logo can be seen on the right. As a "cyberneer" working for the fictional Tyron Corporation, the player character is tasked with installing automated defence software at the deep space mining installation MRP-6F, a large compound located around the top of a crater in which mining operations take place. Its purpose is to defend the mining installation from hostile attack. For this purpose the installation houses six powerful defence turrets installed around the crater, as well as a myriad of support systems for power generation and munitions stores for those armaments. Shortly after the player character's arrival at MRP-6F, the installation is attacked by an unknown enemy force. The player character must face enemy fighters as well as invaders searching the base. The overall goal is to escape the installation with evidence of what has transpired. • Illustration — Facing an enemy intruder in the munitions storage.

The game is reminiscent of the System Shock series in terms of gameplay. The player must explore the base to find items which is needed to establish a line of defence and ultimately escape the installation. This involves fighting off the invading enemies by deploying the defence turrets effectively and using the installation's computer terminals (called "VOS terminals") to hinder the intruder's advance. The computer terminals in the game offer an unusually wide range of interaction. Players can use them to remotely control the defence turrets, load ammunition and inspect the turrets for damage and deploy combat droids within the installation's perimeters. Doors can be controlled from the VOS terminals to control access to the installation's different areas. The player can use this capability to lock in enemy forces in parts of the installation. • Illustration — A view of the VOS terminal GUI. The game also allows the player to fight the invaders by shooting them, but this is discouraged by the fact that new enemies arrive with each passing wave of attacking ships. Also, destroying an enemy greatly degrades the air quality in the immediate area. The computer might even seal doors to polluted areas, sometimes trapping the player. The player can dissolve the pollution by opening doors to adjacent areas, and the pollution levels can be monitored in the VOS terminal's environmental module.' • Illustration — Defensive software being modified for improved performance. The installation consists of two major towers with seven floors each (the administrative and domestic blocks), three hangars, a service level, six turrets and a control room. All these are linked by a subway-train like transportation system named "LIMO". Several elevator systems also connect the different levels. This complex layout enables players to avoid enemies by choosing an alternate route to their destination.