You Are Empty
Encyclopedia
You Are Empty is a first-person shooter
video game based in a fictionalized postwar Soviet Union
. The game begins with the protagonist waking up in a ruined hospital, and it soon becomes clear that the populace has been afflicted by mutation and madness. He then must battle to stay alive and unravel the mystery.
At E3 2006 the developers of You Are Empty gave GameSpot
a private screening of the game. GameSpot expressed interest in the physics engine
, saying that it might "have some unexpected consequences".
You Are Empty was released in North America on October 16, 2007.
There is a graphic problem with the latest Nvidia
drivers (resulting in a white checker board corruption in the game), before a patch being released, the developer suggest the players to install an older Nvidia driver that was included in the game to solve the problem.
pistol or PPSH 41 machine gun. The sole exception to realism being the large electric gun, the last weapon the player receives.
, where Joseph Stalin
still reigns. In an attempt to ensure the global victory of Communism
, the Soviet Union
has constructed a massive psychic antenna to broadcast a reality-altering signal designed to transform the population of the Soviet Union into supermen. However, the experiment goes horribly wrong, and most of the population is either killed or transformed into homicidal mutants.
The game's cutscenes flesh out the backstory by telling the life story of the master scientist responsible for the disaster. As a young boy, the scientist discovers that he has psychic powers that allow him to control other living beings. Becoming a scientific protégé, he develops plans for a massive psychic antenna that would amplify his power and broadcast it across the world, initiating a Great Transformation of humanity.
The protagonist fights his way through various Russian locales, briefly meeting with a couple other survivors, and eventually encountering surviving human members of the Red Army
. These soldiers are initially hostile to the protagonist, and eventually capture him and bring him to a surviving Communist party chairman who informs the protagonist of much of the backstory behind the disaster before committing suicide.
In an attempt to save the world, the protagonist infiltrates the massive psychic antenna facility and fights his way to the top, where he meets the master scientist, whose torso is integrated into the main reactor's machinery.
The scientist tells the protagonist that he is the self-reliant New Man
that the Great Transformation was supposed to create, having managed to fight his way through so many obstacles, and that he can use the antenna to alter the fate of the world. The protagonist decides to use the antenna machinery to rewind time back to before the Great Transformation. He travels to Red Square
, where he finds the master scientist about to propose his plan to the Soviet leadership. The protagonist walks over and shoots the master scientist in the head, and in response is quickly beaten to death by Soviet bodyguards. The game ends with numerous clips of post-1950 20th century history, ending with the September 11th attack on the World Trade center
, showing that because of foiling the Great Transformation, history happened as we know it.
It bears mentioning that the master scientist offers the protagonist two choices, the first being to use the machine to rule the future; however, only one choice is available - after using the machinery, the "go back and restore everything" movie starts. It is unknown whether this is due to time constraints during development or if it was always intended that the player can only make the one choice.
, the game had an average score of 34 out of 100, based on 14 reviews.
Brett Todd of GameSpot
gave the game a rating of 1.5 out of 10, saying "It's hard to imagine how anybody could make the Stalin-era Soviet Union less appealing than it was in reality, but You Are Empty sure does the trick." Todd described the game as an "atrocity" and a "painful exercise in shooter stupidity." Todd said the English translations from the original Russian were "awful", the game has a slow, boring pace, the monsters are "mostly ripped off from other games" (mentioning Doom, Painkiller, Serious Sam
, Silent Hill
, and Redneck Rampage
), and the missions are "geared around hunts for keys and levers." Todd did say that "some of the music can be effectively creepy." Todd ended his review by saying, "the nihilistic name of the game is never explained. Now move on with your life and try to pretend that games like You Are Empty don't exist."
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
video game based in a fictionalized postwar Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. The game begins with the protagonist waking up in a ruined hospital, and it soon becomes clear that the populace has been afflicted by mutation and madness. He then must battle to stay alive and unravel the mystery.
At E3 2006 the developers of You Are Empty gave GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
a private screening of the game. GameSpot expressed interest in the physics engine
Physics engine
A physics engine is computer software that provides an approximate simulation of certain physical systems, such as rigid body dynamics , soft body dynamics, and fluid dynamics, of use in the domains of computer graphics, video games and film. Their main uses are in video games , in which case the...
, saying that it might "have some unexpected consequences".
You Are Empty was released in North America on October 16, 2007.
Graphics
You are Empty lacks any lighting or shader effects, and relies entirely on flat textures for the game's visuals.There is a graphic problem with the latest Nvidia
NVIDIA
Nvidia is an American global technology company based in Santa Clara, California. Nvidia is best known for its graphics processors . Nvidia and chief rival AMD Graphics Techonologies have dominated the high performance GPU market, pushing other manufacturers to smaller, niche roles...
drivers (resulting in a white checker board corruption in the game), before a patch being released, the developer suggest the players to install an older Nvidia driver that was included in the game to solve the problem.
Gameplay
You Are Empty features standard first-person shooter gameplay. Players can acquire a variety of both melee weapons and firearms, mostly based on real-world 1950's era Soviet weapons such as a Mauser C96Mauser C96
The Mauser C96 is a semi-automatic pistol that was originally produced by German arms manufacturer Mauser from 1896 to 1937...
pistol or PPSH 41 machine gun. The sole exception to realism being the large electric gun, the last weapon the player receives.
Background
You Are Empty takes place in 1955 in alternative RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, where Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
still reigns. In an attempt to ensure the global victory of Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
has constructed a massive psychic antenna to broadcast a reality-altering signal designed to transform the population of the Soviet Union into supermen. However, the experiment goes horribly wrong, and most of the population is either killed or transformed into homicidal mutants.
The game's cutscenes flesh out the backstory by telling the life story of the master scientist responsible for the disaster. As a young boy, the scientist discovers that he has psychic powers that allow him to control other living beings. Becoming a scientific protégé, he develops plans for a massive psychic antenna that would amplify his power and broadcast it across the world, initiating a Great Transformation of humanity.
Plot summary
The protagonist of You Are Empty is a high-ranking soldier in the Communist party who is hit by a truck while crossing the street on his way home from work. Because his brain is unconscious during the Great Transformation, the protagonist remains unmutated, and awakens in a hospital to a world populated by homicidal mutants.The protagonist fights his way through various Russian locales, briefly meeting with a couple other survivors, and eventually encountering surviving human members of the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
. These soldiers are initially hostile to the protagonist, and eventually capture him and bring him to a surviving Communist party chairman who informs the protagonist of much of the backstory behind the disaster before committing suicide.
In an attempt to save the world, the protagonist infiltrates the massive psychic antenna facility and fights his way to the top, where he meets the master scientist, whose torso is integrated into the main reactor's machinery.
The scientist tells the protagonist that he is the self-reliant New Man
Übermensch
The Übermensch is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche posited the Übermensch as a goal for humanity to set for itself in his 1883 book Thus Spoke Zarathustra ....
that the Great Transformation was supposed to create, having managed to fight his way through so many obstacles, and that he can use the antenna to alter the fate of the world. The protagonist decides to use the antenna machinery to rewind time back to before the Great Transformation. He travels to Red Square
Red Square
Red Square is a city square in Moscow, Russia. The square separates the Kremlin, the former royal citadel and currently the official residence of the President of Russia, from a historic merchant quarter known as Kitai-gorod...
, where he finds the master scientist about to propose his plan to the Soviet leadership. The protagonist walks over and shoots the master scientist in the head, and in response is quickly beaten to death by Soviet bodyguards. The game ends with numerous clips of post-1950 20th century history, ending with the September 11th attack on the World Trade center
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, showing that because of foiling the Great Transformation, history happened as we know it.
It bears mentioning that the master scientist offers the protagonist two choices, the first being to use the machine to rule the future; however, only one choice is available - after using the machinery, the "go back and restore everything" movie starts. It is unknown whether this is due to time constraints during development or if it was always intended that the player can only make the one choice.
Reception
The game received generally negative reviews from critics. On the review aggregator GameRankings, the game had an average score of 40% based on 15 reviews. On MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the game had an average score of 34 out of 100, based on 14 reviews.
Brett Todd of GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave the game a rating of 1.5 out of 10, saying "It's hard to imagine how anybody could make the Stalin-era Soviet Union less appealing than it was in reality, but You Are Empty sure does the trick." Todd described the game as an "atrocity" and a "painful exercise in shooter stupidity." Todd said the English translations from the original Russian were "awful", the game has a slow, boring pace, the monsters are "mostly ripped off from other games" (mentioning Doom, Painkiller, Serious Sam
Serious Sam
Serious Sam is the first game in the Serious Sam series. It is a first-person shooter created by the Croatian development house Croteam...
, Silent Hill
Silent Hill (video game)
Silent Hill is a survival horror video game for the PlayStation and the first installment in the Silent Hill series. Published by Konami and developed by Team Silent, a Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo group, the game was released in North America in January 1999, and in Japan and Europe later...
, and Redneck Rampage
Redneck Rampage
Redneck Rampage is a 1997 first-person shooter game designed by Xatrix Entertainment and published by Interplay. The game features songs by Mojo Nixon, Reverend Horton Heat, Beat Farmers and other Psychobilly artists. As the name implies, Redneck Rampage has many hillbilly elements in it...
), and the missions are "geared around hunts for keys and levers." Todd did say that "some of the music can be effectively creepy." Todd ended his review by saying, "the nihilistic name of the game is never explained. Now move on with your life and try to pretend that games like You Are Empty don't exist."
External links
- Official website
- Interview with designer Yaroslav Singaevskiy (August 2008)
- http://www.atari.com/games/you_are_empty/pc-download