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February 28, 2006 -
Previously on Console Biscuits... The winter season is over. I'm not exactly Mr. Current events, but I'm fairly certain that the groundhog was assassinated and terrorists from Microsoft vie to control the world through mass depression in the gaming industry. But their reign ends now. There is a period of nearly complete blackout in the industry between Thanksgiving and March, with the occasional title falling near Christmas; but this year, that didn't hold true. At least, Christmas season didn't present anything I felt was worth our time. Thus, Console Biscuits slept until it was needed. And now, we have 24 hours to bring you the information we promised. My name is Don, and today is the longest day of my life. This week, we're going to bring you our exclusive '2005 in Review', which will pour our opinions all over the industry whether you asked us to or not. This is called "filler." While some of you might ask why we didn't try the filler option between November and March, you have to stop and ask yourself how much an underpaid, independent game reviewer cares about filling his gaming website with music and movie reviews just to clutter up the archives. But on this topic, definitely go see Underworld: Evolution. Anyway, the 2005 thing can wait. It's 2006, and we've already made two, possibly three distinct 24 jokes, leading us right into our first new title of the year. Based on the emmy-award winning television series on Fox, 24: The Game takes place between seasons 2 and 3 and stars Kiefer Sutherland as CTU Agent Jack Bauer, a rough and no-questions-asked counter-terrorist agent who always has the longest days ever. I won't spoil any of the television series for those of you who still need to devote a weekend to the DVD box sets, but main characters from seasons 2-3 drive the plot every second, including Tony Almeida, Michelle Dessler, President David Palmer, and Chase Edmunds, Jack's partner in season 3 (ALL played and character-modeled by their actors from the series!). The plot of the game starts off simple enough with an attempt to assassinate the Vice President, but by hour 5, you've prevented this attack, and doing the math, there's a whole lot more to this day than a simple gunman's strike, per usual to any 24 fans. Some days just get longer, and before hour 5 is over, you'll have engaged in enough stylistic gunbattles to make you feel as though Jack Bauer just questioned you. Oh, and yes, there are actual sequences where you "question" key suspects, determining how calm, coaxing, or aggressive you'll be before you decide to break them with a Sig in their face. The overall gameplay mechanics are relatively simple. It is a 3rd person perspective with crosshair lock-ons and moveable centerpoints for precision firing at hiding or shifting targets. You can be stealthy and club targets from behind; use any wall or larger object (like a desk) for cover; shout "FEDERAL AGENT!" before storming a room with the R2 button; access your PDA with the select button; cycle your inventory with the d-pad to use Jack's patented "never-die" cellular phone; and switching weapons is as easy as a right or left press of the d-pad. Driving is also very basic, X to accelerate and square to break or reverse with R1 or circle used for E-braking. This makes the game very easy to learn, where the real tricks become moving as quickly as possible for a good time score and being as accurate as possible when shooting, including ranking as many headshots as possible. Your codebreaking and general hacking skills are also assessed by time. The real oomph behind 24: The Game is in the story writing. Set up like an actual season of 24, gameplay progresses with phenominal voice acting right down to the growing frustration in Jack's voice with every twist and turn. Level construction is relatively simple, but with added environment interactives (like the ability to shoot fire extinguishers or gas canisters), they progress with interest. The only drawback I've seen so far (having completed 6 "hours" of the season) is some of the cutscene transitions are choppy. The cutscenes themselves are wonderfully constructed with excellent graphics and 3d model movements, but when you write a story connected to 24, you have to have that element of suspense. Everyone familiar with 24 knows about the hard, suspenseful episode closers, building the show up for the following week. The game tries to end abruptly when transitioning from one hour to the next, as well; sometimes with success, other times, not so much. The action picks up so quickly, however, that this is something you will notice but immediately blink off as the next gun is drawn. Simply put, this is a must-have for any 24 fan. If you have not followed the show, you may miss out on some of the fast-paced action, or you might stop and ask yourself "Man, doesn't this guy EVER go to the bathroom?" Retailing at $39.99, it's worth it in this 24 fan's opinion. Final opinion: 9/10. It's nice to see a game based on a movie/tv series actually deliver good gameplay. The trend usually is to never, ever buy the game based on the movie, but with its own individual and unique story path that is not told in any season of 24, the game stands out as an excellent addition to the set. We have our '2005 in Review' update next, and we already have a copy of 'Black' for the PS2, the proclaimed "Everything Killer" (to rival the old slogan "Halo Killer"). It's rumored very short, a mere 5-6 hours if you run through it, or 9-11 if you stop and smell the roses you just shot to death, but with graphics like this ('Black' was built with the Burnout engine, used by EA Games and last seen in Burnout: Revenge), it may be worth it to just eliminate terrorism in 5-6 hour intervals from time to time just to appreciate the fine luxuries of graphic perfection as bullets shatter statues into dust. Serene, isn't it? - Don
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Master Biscuit