Publisher: Rockstar Games, www.rockstargames.com
Ages: Mature Only
Parental Advisory: Brutal, violent, and bloody action.
For mature gamers, one of last year's truly guilty pleasures was Rockstar Games' amazing Grand Theft Auto III. This R-rated walk on the wild and dark side was violent and disturbing, and an absolute blast to play. The game stood out because it offered a new gaming experience that combined third-person fight games with demolition-style car races on the streets of a big city. While State of Emergency isn't perfect by any means, Rockstar Games has effectively created another new gaming experience, which is that of an all-out, mob-incensed, virtual brawl. The blood really flies in this ultra-violent title.
In the game, a shadowy corporation seizes control of the country and the enraged citizenry has taken to the streets rioting and looting. It's an all-out state of emergency where you, as a member of the Freedom group, are going to fight for freedom and ultimately overthrow the evil government.
The amazing thing about this chaotic game is that it fills the screen with people madly running in every direction and reacting to the various events. You can fight with your bare hands, or use all manner of weapons that include a baton, baseball bat, pistol, Uzi, AK-47, M16, shotgun, and more that you find lying around or that you beat out of bad guys. You can also pick up items such as trash cans and benches and throw them as weapons as well.
The game's main mode, the chaos mode, is a Crazy-Taxi style scenario that offers limited time and asks you to score points to replenish the time and stay alive. As you've probably figured out, you score points by accomplishing violent tasks. When you score enough points, you move to the next level.
State of Emergency features a less compelling Revolution mode that offers a series of task-based missions. Here you're asked to blow up buildings, kill corporation executives, and guard places and people. The missions are something of a mixed bag with some being rather easy and straight-forward, and others being quite in-depth and good. As you proceed, the enemies become tougher to beat by becoming better fighters and increasing in raw numbers, which improves the challenge.
The game's cartoon-style graphics aren't all that ground-breaking. But it's amazing how the game manages to throw so many chaotic characters onto the screen. The various flames and other effects look great, and the supporting sound effects lend to the overall atmosphere. Be aware that the violent content of this game also depicts some bloody results. This game is definitely not appropriate for youngsters.
Overall, Rockstar games has managed to create a distinctly different game that stands out from the many shooter, sports, real-time strategy, and other clones that sit on game store shelves. Like Grand Theft Auto III, this violent game is not for everyone, but it offers an innovative and compelling new game experience.
