From the turmoil of the future comes an outcome that is so simple in notion, yet so diverse in implementation.

It is the future, and the world is sharply divided by corporations. From the tide of chaos comes the GNU, a world council, and its military branch, DOCWA. The only problem is that the GNU becomes the pawn of companies, and DOCWA has been downsized in importance. On the brink of destruction, the world is plunged into factions and combat for the power. However, despite the barbarism of war, this has been given a civilized bent. You see, it’s not a case of humans fighting and dying on a grand scale; it is advanced robotics, a link of human mind to a robot that is armed to the teeth with weapons. And the battleground is not really Earth, but space, and space stations.

That is the premise behind Axis, an online shooter game from Jamie.

Now, forget that preamble. Because the background only tries to give a reason for the combat, but it isn’t necessary. Do you want to know what Axis is all about? In a nutshell, this is a Korean version of Quake III: Team Arena. You battle in venues with teammates or solo against other players. But there are differences.

First, like Q3, Axis allows gamers to play on their computer without having to log into a server. It is always advisable to gear up for the combat by practicing your moves in the solo setting before tackling the multiplayer aspect of the game. Q3 did offer nice three-dimensional features, but Axis is slightly better in that regard. This takes place in space and exotic locales that are as much fun to explore as to fight in. Most of these environments are weightless, meaning the battlefield isn’t two dimensional, but very three-dimensional. If you are in the habit of looking around corners for the enemy, watch out ­ they may be above or below you.

Once you enter the game, you are required to log in. You enter a name, and select an image to represent you ­ many of the characters are Japanese anime-style drawings. You can then proceed to the arming area where you can customize the look of your robot by changing the armament, the armor, booster and color. Don’t worry, the scariest-looking one doesn’t always win.

From there you can launch the skirmish. In single player action you will begin in a simple space platform setting (the view of the Earth through the glass is quite wonderful) against two opponents with a 10 frag goal and unlimited time. They will come at you fast and hard. You must keep moving, keep your weapons loaded, and occasionally hit the health aids located throughout the environment. Like Q3, you run ­ in this case, fly ­ through them to pick them up. If you succeed, then you advance to the next level. There are 22 different locations.

The problems came when, after honing skills, it was time to go online to play in a multiplayer setting. You can connect via IPX, TCP or IP. Perhaps part of the difficulty connecting is that a Korean company who uses its server for the game produces the game and Korea is in a vastly different time zone. Each time I tried to sign on and join a game, there were no games going on. This occurred in the evening, on several different occasions. Ok, that failing, perhaps hosting a game may attract some players, or at least afford a view of other locations.

I was hit with a message saying that there was a new version that needed to be downloaded in order to do that. No problem, hit the ‘OK’ button, and the game goes away while the computer is working away. Oops, error message asking to check the DNS setting. No problem, since the game won’t go there, let’s launch a browser and go directly to the game’s Web site. There’s a problem there too, it isn’t found. This process happened at several different times on different days. That is a problem. The program won’t let you compete in multiplayer without downloading the new patch, and yet, you can’t seem to find it.

A day after the review was written, access to the DNS site offered some relief. Yes, it was back online, but you need to search the site to find the download applicable. Is it your video card? If you have updated the drivers, then you may have a problem. The trouble with the site is that you can’t easily access the patch that will enable you to download what is needed to allow this game to function properly online. For a game that is built for multiplayer action, that is a serious drawback.

Axis is graphically very nice, and the sound is typical of this style of game. The controls are keyboard and mouse-driven. But the nice aspect of that is that Jamie utilizes control patterns that are familiar from other games (as in using the W, A, S, D for movement, and the mouse for the look and fire controls). And the game comes with a manual in Korea, which in spite of the language barrier, is the most incredibly illustrated manual I have ever seen.

This program doesn’t feature the bloody body-parts-flying-everywhere look that Quake III had. Kills blast apart, but there aren’t stains everywhere with chunks of flesh bouncing across the screen. In that regard, it is easier on the eyes for a wider range of people. However, there seems to be a problem with downloading the patch for online multiplayer gaming. Axis may be a wonderfully rendered program, but when you take away a key draw of the game, it is tough to recommend it ­ unless all you want is a game to test your mettle in a solo frag-fest.

Install: Easy.
This program goes on the computer quite fast, though because I don’t read Korean, I can’t tell you how much space it takes up on the hard drive.

Gameplay: 9.
You really have to be on your toes when you enter a combat scenario. The computer opponents are skilled and quick. Even though early combat scenarios have no time limit, if your reflexes are a little slow, the game won’t last that long.

Graphics: 9.
There are 22 arenas for combat, each quite unique and wonderful to fly through. It’s too bad that once the battle begins you have little time to appreciate the environmental elements. The customization of the robotic fighters is a nice feature.

Sound: 6.
Typical of this style of game. Nothing really new here.

Difficulty: 9.
This game is quick paced, blast ‘em action. The moment you launch a scenario, you had better be ready, because the computer foes are coming at you.

Concept: 7.5
This program borrows perhaps too much from the Quake III dominion, but it does add its own nice touches to give it a bit of personality that will distinguish it from that other title.

Multiplayer: N/A.
The manual is in Korean, but the game is in English. However, there really can be no rating here, because at the time the game was initially reviewed, the Web site didn’t allow for an available patch for the program to install for multiplayer gaming, and the patches - when accessed - did not distinguish what the right download would work for player to play online.

Overall: 7.
This program gets points for its arenas and graphical options. It loses points for its online difficulties. It is a nice shooter game if you disdain playing online, but if you want to hone skills then challenge the world in online matches, stick to a program like Quake III. While Axis may have some nicer design elements, the Q3 fan-base makes it a more viable option for multiplayer gaming. And while the game may offer the online patch to let players venture into the Zone, there is no definite patch to the game that allow players to click and go straight into the game without wading through the variety of patches to find one that works. This is a graphically cool game, but there are troubles in downloading the patch that makes it a game that may be troubling to players.