Played the game on the highest difficulty. Difficulty ramps up on some levels. So much that it's frustrating at times.
- Genre: Beat'em Up
- System: PS2
- Release: Sept 2005
- My Rating: 75
- Metacritic Rating: 60
- Players: Coop (1 or 2), Versus (1 to 4)
- Similar Games: Double Dragon, Final Fight, Streets of Rage
- Duration: 10-15 hours (normal difficulty)
- Duration for me: 25-30 hours (hardest difficulty)
- Recommended: Hit or miss, bargain bin buy (I picked it up for 9.99)
Story:
You play as Brad Hawk who is a brawler for hire in the city of Green Harbor, a locked down city where the gangs are the police and enemies are your friends. He is originally enlisted to find a kidnapped gang member, but ends up discovering things are not what they seem.
Gameplay:
Story Mode: In this mode you can go solo, team up with a computer controlled-partners (after a certain point), or play with your friend(s) (please refer to summary near end) through 100 missions. Like other beat'em up games, there are staple/reused NPCs and then there are bosses. The game allows players to freely move around in the environment that vary from large open environments to small rooms and enclosed areas. There are interactive items within the environment such as destructibles (chairs, tables, fences, etc.) that cause extra damage when an opponent or you is thrown into or knocked down into. There are weapons and items scattered about which can be used or thrown.
The moves for each character are limited, but toss in grapples, counters, and team-ups, and the game can be entertaining. What I enjoyed about the gameplay was the grapples and the counters. Grapples consist of low, high, air, and team grapples. The counters require split second timing and practice. Be careful, counters can be countered. There is a bar that charges when you take damage, dodge, or deal damage. You can perform special moves which are unblockable/uncounterable.
Versus Mode: I cannot really comment much on this section, my friend and I played it for a bit, the computers are pretty easy in this mode for some reason, but it is fun beating on each other. Grapples, dodges, combos, etc.
Graphics:
Gritty style which I found to fit the theme of the game. I would give it 7/10
Sound:
Voices are pretty good; I can easily picture the characters sounding like the voices they used (except for one or two). I do not remember if there was music, I guess it didn't leave much of an impression on me.
Replay/Lasting Value:
Not too sure, I cannot imagine myself playing through the story mode again, at least not anytime soon. But versus mode can be fun. On the hardest difficulty, it took me 25-30 hours of on and off gameplay.
Summary/Misc:
Pros:
- Grapples and counters
- Interactive environment
- AI can and will attack at the same time instead of attacking one by one (bias - I like that in video games)
- Can switch between main character and partner during the fight
- About 15 or 16 distinct characters (not counting the grunts which make the total around 60)
- Tag team moves and double/triple take downs
Cons:
- Coop in story mode must be activated with a cheat code (L1, R2, Circle, Circle, Triangle, L2, R1, Circle, Triangle, Circle)
- Camera follows only Player 1 in coop mode
- Difficulty is ramped up on some missions (noted by other reviewers)
- Limited move list