18 out of 18 people found this review helpful.
I Want His Head On A Steak
Date of Review: Sep 9, 2004
The Bottom Line: An average game and tbh there are better ones around
Just as Sega decided to pull the plug on the Dreamcast console they came out with a new RPG based game. Rather than leave the game to rot along with the Dreamcast, Sega released the game on the PS2. At the same time they decided rather than produce a new console they would focus on game development. I bought this after completing Max Payne as it seemed to be a pretty similar type of game.
Its set in the not too distant future, in California. A new police force has been introduced to combat crime in the city. They have employed Headhunters rather than training up existing officers to front this new division. You play the part of one of the best in the field, only he cant actually remember. Jack Wade has been one of the top Headhunters in the city but after he has been captured and tested on he cant remember who he is.
Having been fired from the official Headhunter program, his former boss advises him to go solo. This means you have to pass the L.E.I.L.A. (training Program) in order to get a gun and start to find out who you are. Added to that the daughter of a murdered business man has approached you to find her father s killer. This isn t going to be an easy task though.
To aid in getting you from one place to another you get the use of a bike, which can travel at high speeds to get you around the city. The bike is pretty easy to control providing you don t hit anything. This is where I noticed the first failing in the game. The bike can be impossible to control when you want to start up again after crashing into something. This is certainly something that takes away from the playability of this aspect of the game. Other than that driving is pretty easy to control.
The problems with controlling your character don t end there. It is hard to get to grips with the controls of your character at first. The camera angles are slightly slanted behind your character and you can often find yourself facing and shooting in the wrong direction. It s fairly easy to get used to this though. It can be slightly annoying to start with but the controls in first person mode are relatively easy to get to grips with.
Once you have got to grips with the controls its time to try the missions. This is where the next failing of the game comes about. I m a big fan of games that get harder as they progress rather than having to set it at Easy etc. I found though that this game was incredibly hard from the start, which isn t much encouragement to keep you playing. The first time you come across a harder opponent than the others its almost impossible to get past him. I don t like games that are too easy but at the same time I find it to be a huge disadvantage if a game is too hard too quickly.
The best thing I found about the game was the detail used to create the city. The locations look good and although its nowhere near the same level of detail as The GTA games it does look quite good. I felt though that it more than made up for the lacking size of the city with the detail put into each location. Whether you are at the Gas Station or the training facility a great deal of time and effort has been put into designing each location.
Another bonus of the game is the soundtrack and the news clips used during the game. All the music was performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and composed by Richard Jaques. All the music throughout the game really suited the locations and settings. The filmed news settings are actual footage of a couple of reporters reading the news, while the majority of clips use similar graphics to the game.
Overall the storyline of the game is really good and captures your imagination. I felt though that it was let down considerably by the game play and the difficulty of the game in the earlier stages. It s recommended for anyone 15 and over and I d say that s a pretty fair assessment, as although very violent in parts its still quite enjoyable and after all isn t real. If your willing to persist and spend hours trying and trying again to get past end of level bosses try this game. If you aren t then can I suggest Max Payne as a much more enjoyable game.
