State of Emergency
hit shelves shortly after the highly acclaimed
GTA3 for
the PS2. Expecting the same kind of revolutionary, open-ended
gameplay that developer Rockstar delivered with GTA3, it seems that
the disappointment ran deep amongst gamers and reviewers alike.
Mediocre scores were probably also influenced by the uncomfortable
parallels between the anti-establishment violence in the game and
real world terrorism, overshadowing the better points of the game.
Whether or not this
treatment was fair to State of Emergency, the recent XBOX
port hit the shelves at the whopping price of $20. I am always on
the lookout for a game that will entertain my buddies when they come
over, and after playing the multiplayer mode at a friends house (and
having a blast) I decided that the meager price of this game would
make it a welcome addition to my collection.
Before I get on with the
good stuff, I would like to make two points:
1. I was not
impressed with GTA3 for the PS2. The open-ended gameplay was
not revolutionary. In fact it was exactly the same as the first two
games - with the exception of a grainy, pixellated 3D engine that
was plagued with slowdown. (The PC version later rectified these
issues for the most part)
With SOE, Rockstar
actually created a game with some unique gameplay elements (without
having two previous games and one expansion pack to draw on) and a
graphical engine that could really do some incredible things.
2. I don’t care
about terrorism or killing civilians in video games. When I’m
playing a game, all of the real-world crap that haunts me during the
‘responsible’ hours float away in a near-narcotic induced fashion.
I’ll play Counter Strike and join the terrorist team, gunning
down the good guys with a happy grin… I DON’T CARE – BECAUSE IT’S
JUST A GAME!
Some people cannot make
that distinction, and I sincerely hope that those people never visit
netjak (If they did, there would likely be a lot of empty
Religious Zealot sites and Disturbing Sexual chat rooms) I’m talking
to you, Lieberman – you friggin’ commie.
"Smash The
Corporation!"
The thin story behind
SOE is as follows:
Following complete social
and economic collapse, a corporation (creatively titled ‘The
Corporation’) has taken the liberty of assuming governmental
responsibilities and granting themselves the right to sole monopoly
of all business. Despite the ruthless tactics that the corporation
police and military forces use to attempt to control the populous,
civil unrest causes a perpetual state of lawless rioting and looting
throughout the city. As one of five members of ‘Freedom’ (one which
must be unlocked) you must go into the proverbial frying pan and
strike at the heart of the beast.
Needless to say, much
carnage will ensue.
A Real Riot
The first thing you will
notice during gameplay are the hoards of looters running around you,
carrying away everything that is not nailed down. You really have to
see the number and speed of the non-player characters to appreciate
the sheer scope of chaos you’ll experience from the first second of
gameplay. While character models aren’t exactly the most detailed
you’ll see this year; they aren’t as dumbed-down as you’d expect,
either. When compared to previous games with a similar number of
civilians, (Jet Set Radio Future comes to mind) the texture detail
and animation of each individual is far superior.
Strewn amongst the masses
of unarmed civilians are a variety of police and military forces.
From the start of any particular riot, there are single guards armed
with batons wandering around. As killing police units is the only
way to regain health, you can attract these guys by smashing windows
and setting off alarms. As the carnage ensues, you’ll encounter
various groups of SWAT units – which will sport pistols, assault
rifles, rocket launchers, miniguns, you name it.
Random threats will also
pop up throughout the game – like suicide bombers and gang members
(gangs include skinheads, afro-sporting basketball enthusiasts and
the like)
All of this chaos, a
third person perspective and random weapons scattered throughout the
levels give SOE a definite arcade flavor. This feeling is punctuated
by a scoring system that gives respective points based on how much
damage you do to the capitalist machine. Anyone expecting any kind
of serious strategy or epic story should first get their head
examined, and then look elsewhere.
While the levels are
relatively large, there are only four to choose from. Three of the
levels take place on city streets, one in a mall; all are places
teeming with storefronts and places of business. Launching or
tossing explosives into buildings yields a high score, demolishing
cars and such earns a bit less, smashing everything else gives
incremental score increases.
The only real departure
from this simple gameplay premise are the ‘Last Clone Standing’ type
levels, in which the player must gun down a couple of hundred
unarmed, cowering people (wearing ninja suits) within a certain time
limit. This is more difficult than it sounds, as the aforementioned
levels are pretty big and the last half-dozen ‘clones’ always seem
to scatter and hide in the far corners of the environment. The
bodies of the ‘clones’ stay put after you kill them, a quite
impressive feat considering the extra horsepower needed to track and
render 200 bodies wherever they may fall.
Aside from these types of
instant gratification levels, there is a mission mode entitled
‘Revolution’. In this mode you are directed to several ‘Freedom’
operatives, which will give you missions a-la Tony Hawk 4. These
missions are generally more challenging than the other
quick-and-dirty game modes, and tend to get a little frustrating
after repeated attempts… But if they didn’t I be here complaining
about how the game is too easy, right? The overall difficulty is
enough to give a sense of accomplishment, but not enough to want to
throw your controller at your loved ones and run away crying like a
little schoolgirl.
My only real complaint
about the game mechanics in SOE is the camera scheme. While a
Hitman 2
control scheme would have allowed for circle-strafing goodness, the
developers saw fit to place the entire player control on the left
thumbstick, and add the ability to swing the camera around with the
right stick. As a result, the controls feel pretty two-dimensional.
Survival often means:
- Sprinting away from an
enemy
- Turning all the way
around
- Hitting the camera
lock/strafe button (right trigger)
- Strafing from side to
side until you are overwhelmed
- Repeat
Sure, it adds a bit of
extra challenge… but a better control scheme would have really
polished off the fast-paced arcade experience that Rockstar was
going for.
The Colors…
The environments in SOE
are very vibrant and somewhat cartoonish. While there are many, many
people all running around – there are no environmental effects to
speak of. There are a couple of fountains, but the water is very
simple and has discernable reflection effects. Explosions and smoke
are done well, but real-time light and shadow effects are
non-existent. Anyone who has played Hunter: the Reckoning
knows what the big green box is capable of when given a third person
camera and hoards of on-screen baddies… While SOE comes nowhere near
this level of detail, it does what it is intended to do.
While SOE may not be
technologically up to snuff with other XBOX titles, the crisp,
colorful environmental textures and imaginative character designs
help to create a real sense of style. The level of detail could have
been significantly tweaked for the XBOX; but I’ll gladly take the
extra gameplay modes and sharper textures, on top of a very stylish
graphical package.
Final Digs
Disregard of the opinions
of jaded gamers wanting another GTA3. SOE is a remarkable
game that captures fast-paced, mindless action in a colorful
package, and it’s fun. The multiplayer missions are the high point
of this game, and the premise and controls are simple enough
accommodate the novice player.
I would find it very hard
not to recommend a purchase of this game, even if you never touch
any of the single player options. At $20, a gleefully destructive
multiplayer frag-fest like this one is a hell of a bargain.
