We checked in with LucasArts to see how RTX Red Rock, its third-person action game for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube, is coming together. The game is set some time in the future in the wake of an invasion of Earth that was repelled. As repairs begin on the battered planet, contact is lost with a colony on Mars. Earth's leaders, fearful of another invasion that its military forces would be ill prepared to deal with so soon, opt to engage in some reconnaissance, which is where you come in. You'll take the role of E.Z. Wheeler, a radical tactics expert, who is charged with checking out the situation on the colony. Unfortunately, upon his arrival, Wheeler discovers that the recently repelled alien forces are making themselves at home on Mars. The game will focus on your efforts to find a way to deal with the growing alien forces and discover why they are so interested in Mars.

　　Some puzzles in the game will require you to take control of robots you'll find in the colony. The last time we saw RTX, the game was running a bit roughly on both the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. The latest build is further along in development and gave us a better feel for the kind of gameplay to expect. While the core gameplay of RTX will revolve around exploration and combat, we were able to see the other two elements of the game--vehicles and a puzzle-style minigame--and how they work. Though we previously saw how vehicles will be used in the game at a LucasArts press event, this updated build let us check out the various craft Wheeler will be piloting. You'll find a standard moon buggy vehicle, which is dependable, albeit a bit bland, along with some other, more-interesting vehicles that you can access later in the game. You'll be able to take control of an alien scout ship in shooting levels and zip around the canyons shooting other ships. The spider rover is a multilegged ground-based craft that is roughly the size of a motorcycle. In addition to looking cool, you'll be able to use it to leap billy-goat-style to high ledges on the canyons to reach new areas. The vehicle sequences will make up roughly 10 percent of the gameplay, with the other 90 being focused on third-person action.

　　In sequences where you roam the surface of Mars, you'll need your trusty space suit. The third-person sequences in the game will include combat, puzzle solving, exploration, and a minigame that you'll access via I.R.I.S., E.Z.'s sentient PDA that serves a variety of uses. The minigame seems to offer an interesting change of pace. At certain times in the game you'll be required to help I.R.I.S. Gameplay then changes to a minigame set in the Tron-like cyberworld where she exists, and you'll find yourself navigating a series of energy streams. The goal is to transport an energy ball to a target area. The challenge comes from rings--placed throughout the various interlocking streams--that will try to take it from you. Success will hinge on finding the right path to the goal without losing the ball. The interface for the minigame is reminiscent of the old-school Tempest game, with the action revolving around Wheeler's virtual avatar as it rotates on the streams.

　　Traveling on foot is overrated. Use vehicles when you can. The game's graphics are slowly coming together. While the visual quality of the game has always been pretty high, the game's frame rate has been pretty inconsistent. The latest build included more effects and showed off a variety of new areas in the game. The frame rate wasn't quite as inconsistent as before, despite the new additions, which is a good sign.

　　From what we've seen so far, RTX Red Rock for the PlayStation 2 is shaping up to be a solid platformer with a good amount of variety to it. Unfortunately, we weren't able to check out a new build of the GameCube game, which is currently trailing a bit in the development cycle. RTX Red Rock is currently slated to ship this May for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube. For more on the game, check out our 561277developer interview .