I agree. Definitley moonstone (mindscape). But although the map has four different sets of scenery. It's not a game divided into four sections on screen. This is how I would describe hired guns (dma/psygnosis). Both are excellent multi-player games (particularly hired guns), but very different styles.
Now for the benefit of anyone who has played neither....
Moonstone - 1-4player(2 simultaneous) - Beat'm'Up/Adventure
Firstly. GET THE ORIGINAL OR YOU WILL CRASH @ THE END. All the cracked versions I play have bugs which manifest themselves after all the moonstones have been collected (this is an objective of the game).
Gore was a bit of a gimmick with this one. You are one of four knights on a quest for four moonstones, which you need in order to unlock the final boss & ending.
There are two main game (and several sub-) sections.
1) The map. Each knight (starts in NW SW NE SE) takes turns to choose a battle ground or visit the cities/mystic dudes. and then most often goes to...
2) The fight. Only four different backdrops on a static screen. The knight must kill all opponents in a shower of blood. Sometimes you would be here because you've been caught by the dragon or another knight then you only have one opponent.
After each fight, the player can boost stats and pinch stuff from vanquished foes like an RPG.
Summary: Although innovative, moonstone is sadly lacking in gameplay and difficulty. All the blood is good for a laugh, but once you've seen all the different decapitation animations fifty times it gets just a little tiresome. And once you know the strategey to use against each type of monster, you can finish it with your eyes shut.
Hired Guns - 1-4player simultaneous - FPRPG/Shoot'm'Up
Firstly... AVOID THE MS-DOS version, it sucks.
I remember when I first loaded this one up on my expanded A500 (I'd played a cover demo but the reviews had yet to come out in AU) I was blown away by the presentation.
Although it looks a little dated now, it still creates a very spooky atmosphere (I near crap my pants when a 'seahorse thingy' catches me unawares). The four at once multiplayer mode works well (no crowding), and is as engaging as any N64/XBOX 3d extravaganza you could find.
The music to this game is my favorite amiga game music (followed close by CF2 and SWOS), and if you have the memory to spare you get some of the best SFX you hear in any game (not just amiga).
Anyone who has played a first person RPG will be at home with the controlls, but the game is quite unlike any other I've played. The most similar game I have played to this is 'Space Hulk'(EA) or maybe 'Captive' (mindscape).
Summary: By yourself, or with three mates (esp. 3 mates), this game is one of the most engrossing and challenging games you are likely to play on any platform. With 'full campaign','training' and 'single mission' modes there is enough here to keep even hardend gamers going for ages without being too tricky.
