State of Emergency
Score: 60% ESRB: Mature Publisher: Rockstar Games Developer: Vis Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Action
Graphics & Sound: While it lacks the beauty of Rockstar Game's Grand Theft Auto series, State of Emergency has well defined 3D graphics and a phenomenal number of moving objects on-screen at the same time. In this particular case those objects are people, and they roam throughout the levels, looting and fighting, and they do it all at a wonderfully rapid and smooth frame rate. The characters are colorful and detailed and textures are pretty decent, but it would have been nice if more Xbox features had been taken advantage of. As it stands, what's presented is adequate, and unless you would rather sacrifice frame rate for graphical splendor, you will likely find it serviceable. Sound is good, with a wide range of background voices and the sorts of chaotic sound effects one would expect from a riot. The theme song, which is performed by Smash Mechanics, is good, and Custom Soundtracks are supported.
Gameplay: State of Emergency offers many modes of play including Chaos, Revolution, and Multiplayer. Chaos Mode offers fixed time, unlimited time, and last clone standing games, and is a fun and mindless way to spend one's time. The objective is usually just to kill enemy forces or destroy property, and it's all very visceral and is generally entertaining. Revolution Mode presents what seems like a countless number of small missions, each presented one after another. There's little background story, and this is really just Chaos mode wrapped in a progressing campaign. Split-screen multiplayer games include Chaos, Last Clone Standing and Deathmatch, and are available for up to four players. Revolution Mode is the heart of State of Emergency, and it offers several different mission types, from the basic 'kill this' and 'guard that' variety, to such activities as destroying property, retrieving objects, or meeting up with allied characters. All sorts of power-ups are available, and weapons like clubs, knives, guns, and grenades can be found throughout the levels. There are a number of playable characters in the game, each with their own unique look and fighting styles. Two characters are available immediately, and an additional three can be unlocked by completing levels in Revolution Mode.
Difficulty: State of Emergency is one of those games anyone can just dive into and begin enjoying. While it is definitely an over the top experience, with non-stop violence, most will learn how to successfully wade through the levels after just a short period of time. Missions do become increasingly more difficult as Revolution Mode progresses, but most people's interest level will pique before they find the game too difficult.
Game Mechanics: Like most of Rockstar's games, State of Emergency sports a slick interface, a well written manual, and game screens that make it crystal clear what's going on at all times. Although the camera can sometimes be difficult to control, an on-screen arrow always shows you where you need to go, and the simplistic gameplay always keeps the action moving forward. State of Emergency is not a great game by any stretch of the imagination. Although it does offer some violent thrills, the lack of an overarching storyline that is integrated into the game itself keeps it squarely out of the same realm of a game like Grand Theft Auto. It has good graphics, sound, and solid gameplay, but its focus is limited, and it is thusly only a mediocre game.
-Gordy, GameVortex Communications AKA Gary Lucero
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