Urban Chaos: Riot Response
- June 16, 2006 09:39 AM PST
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Urban warfare gets ugly in Eidos' upcoming Urban Chaos: Riot Response. Action games gently weep for better days.
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Apparently, in the near future terrorists will be classified as "gangs" and all run around wearing hockey masks and wielding meat cleavers. The future looks grim, indeed. Welcome to the world of Eidos' Urban Chaos: Riot Response, a muddled, confusing take on urban warfare that has you running around quelling said hooligans, who have taken to the streets in an attempt to take control of their fair city. This is what happens when action games go horribly wrong.
Jason Voorhees, Eat Your Heart Out
Terrorists are a bad lot, especially when they look like rejects from Rockstar Games' Manhunt. It seems that multiple gangs in the city have taken up arms against the police, mainly incited by a fittingly named group of thugs called the Burners. The Burners, as you would probably expect, have a penchant for fire, and tote around molotov cocktails as their main means of attack. You take on the role of a season cop that's been enlisted in a new and controversial anti-terrorism group dubbed T-Zero (Zero Tolerance). It's up to you, and your allies, to quell the uprising, no matter the cost.
The actual game plays out like a typical first-person shooter, albeit with a few tweaks. Every now and then you'll be given charge of an ally or a civilian, who you can issue simple commands to in order to progress further in a level. For example, one level has you paired with a fireman, who can chop down doors and put out small fires that may hinder your progress. Civilians, on the other hand, require a bit more care, mainly because they're unarmed and have no way to protect themselves. You can command them to take cover if some baddies suddenly appear, although "taking cover" usually results in them just standing still and putting their hands over their heads in fear.
Who Needs Cool Weapons?
As a member of an elite anti-terrorism squad, you'd think that you would have a huge arsenal of cool weapons. Well, when you first start the game, it's quite the opposite. For much of the game you'll be utilizing a short line-up of weapons, including a handgun and a shotgun. In an attempt to mix things up, you do have a stun gun that can be used to subdue criminals, a riot shield that can be used for both protection and as a weapon, and you can also pick up weapons dropped by enemies. It's just a bit odd that the majority of Burners you square off against simply tote around meat cleavers. If I were the head of a huge terrorist gang, I'd send my minions in to the field with more than simple cooking tools.
Visually, the game doesn't manage to score very high marks, and in fact I thought there was actually a problem with my PS2 when I first fired up the game. Environments are muddy and low-res, and character models are blocky and downright awful. There are some nice particle and fire effects later on in the game, but the overall visual presentation is such a disappointment. This game might have been nice looking about five years ago, but given what developers can produce for the PS2 today, it's certainly a step down from the norm.
Urban Chaos: Riot Response tries to be different than other FPS titles out there, and manages to get a few things right. The ally command system is robust enough to keep you on your toes, and the somewhat interesting storyline is presented in a pretty cool way (via mock TV news reports). But, the shoddy visuals and generic action bring the game down to the depths of mediocrity. While the inclusion of online multiplayer may sweeten the deal for some, true FPS PS2 gamers will be sorely disappointed.
