State of Emergency

Riots! Mayhem! Oppressive government controlled by big business! No, it isn?t the Enron story. It?s State of Emergency, Rockstar?s follow-up to Grand Theft Auto III.

State of Emergency is the ultimate in antisocial anarchy?similar to the way Loaded on the PlayStation gleefully broke all the rules with a coy smile. As one of five citizens under the oppressive heel of a sinister government controlled by big business, you must single-handedly make things right in four different locales and several missions. Playing from a behind-the-thug view, your tasks read like ?Revolution for Dummies?: escort and protect hackers, destroy buildings, and assassinate high-ranking officials. In addition to your fists, there?s a nice and sometimes gruesome variety of weapons, including baseball bats, machine guns, and even severed heads.

State?s most noteworthy element is the visual presentation. Accompanied by a striking audio track, the screen is completely packed with riot-like activity?gang bangers, citizens, Corporation officers (the bad guys), and frenzied crowds that react to explosions and gunfire. Some of the details, though, have been skimped on, such as the featureless citizens.

Yet the game?s play engine wears thin too soon. Missions grow tiresome from their own repetition, and the four locales lack visual and structural diversity. The controls, though, remain firm throughout, although constantly having to manually change the camera angle can become wearisome.

Despite its quickly worn welcome State of Emergency?s worth a play if you?re in the mood to inflict some serious virtual mass destruction. It?s also the kind of game you?ll truly enjoy if you?ve ever been wrongly awarded a speeding ticket, victimized by the IRS, or told to stop running by a mall cop.

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