Title: Urban Chaos: Riot Response

Date: 06.14.2006

Genre: FPS

Platform: PlayStation 2

Developer: Rocksteady

Publisher: Eidos Interactive

Rocksteady and Eidos have come together to make this phenomenal game which is, in my opinion, currently as much fun as you can have with your pants on! However let's get into the game!

Story

What would a game be without an interesting plot? Before you even play the game - read the booklet. I know this may sound stupid to say but if you flag the booklet then you will go into the game and be a bit confused. The booklet lays down the prelim's to the story, basically you are Nick Mason, an elite army soldier fighting overseas. Your father is killed while you are away and your old city is in ruins, currently being taken over by a vicious mob known as the "Burners" (aptly named as you will find out!). The mayor has formed an elite unit known as "T - Zero", for the sole purpose of stamping out the Burners, and you are their premier soldier. You have been personally asked to come back, avenge your father, and complete your goal: to take back the city by any means necessary. Along the way you will get help from paramedics, firemen and cops, who will all serve useful as you play. Ultimately in the end you will emerge as hero and the city will thank you. Sounds like a plan to me.

Gameplay

The premier aspect of the game. This game is a first person shooter, and I don't think I really need to describe that to anyone. The game opens with an awesome cut scene showing the Burners attacking the cop station. Immediately you are thrust into the game, your leader, Adam Wolf, shouting at you to take down the Burners before you can proceed inside. This really is the tutorial level, outlining how to use your weapons, your shield, how to handle hostage situations, and how to use the other services such as the cops, firemen and paramedics. After this level you continue the story as you have to complete various missions, gaining help from a few key allies and ultimately saving your city! There are about 13 missions all up, including an extra 5 "emergency" missions, which are unlocked by capturing gang leaders alive. This is another awesome feature of Urban Chaos. Before each level begins there is a cut scene of the news, describing the scenario/mission you just completed, and then outlining the one to come. What sets this apart from other cut scenes tho is that there are actual people. The news presenter is a real person, hell you could mistake it for watching the TV news if you didn't know any better. As the presenter talks you are given real life pictures of rioting and attacks, Eidos taking the time and effort to make this game truly seem real. It is a lovely little feature that you will grow to love.

What would a game be without rewards? For each mission there are certain criteria that if you meet, you will be rewarded with a badge for. So what I hear you say? Well collect the right amount of awards and you will unlock a special addition for one of your weapons or inventory, for example upgraded shotgun power, more grenade capacity, higher armor and a better shield. And what makes it cool, is that if you have all the medals on the easy setting, keep going, and get them on the hard setting. You will have to replay levels again and again to fully unlock all rewards. Now weaponry. To begin with you have the basics - a pistol, a taser, and then you riot shield. Just a quick note about the riot shield - do not under estimate its usage. It can save your ass in many a tight spot, even from bombs, grenades, and all bullets. If you’re low on health then it can be a god send. Now as the game progresses you get more guns - the shot gun, the assault rifle etc. And of course the Burner weapons - cleavers, compact assault rifles, nail bombs, Molotov’s and grenade launchers. As you do the Emergency missions, you unlock an upgrade to your weapon. My personal favorite is the Assault Rifle - Mach 3. Now in regards to gameplay, you can be sneaky, go for headshots and laugh as they die in one shot, or go gung ho, and assault them, all guns blazing.

Then you can be the pacifist, simply shocking them instead of shooting them. This is vital when going for gang leaders, as shocking an opponent will "bring them in" e.g. arrest them, and will earn you the "Non Lethal Enforcer" badge. Non stop head shots will get you the "Sharpshooter badge", etc. When you succeed in an award, or sometimes just randomly, you will get a slow mo of the death. For example a headshot on a Burner who is on the top of a roof will trigger an awesome cut-scene, where the noise of the bullet hitting the skull is amplified, and in slow motion we watch his body fly backwards. This is also applicable in the case of hostage situations. The way you kill them is very Punisher like, and a very nice addition.

And who can forget the good old emergency crews. The one you will most come to love is the paramedics. Nick has a limited life bar. Take too many bullets or bomb blasts and it'll be slipping. When it reaches low its time to finds that paramedic. A word of warning though - the paramedic can only heal you three times. So use it wisely. Nothing worse than having to face a room full of Burners, who are shooting at you non stop, when you only have a quarter of your life left and no more healing packs. Luckily the paramedic is always nearby, back track a bit and you will find her. As you do missions you will be given a firefighter sometimes. The fireman is your friend (who'd a thought?!), and you need him when entering a burning building. He'll break down doors, put out fires, and carry out civilians. However he isn't always needed and is only there when you must enter a burning building. Police are the most limited in terms of help and you'll only get them when the odds are REALLY bad (excluding emergency situations). They can be life savers, although are rather unco when it comes to killing. However this is an awesome feature which I really liked and I think you will too.

Sound

The sound in the game is awesome. The gun shot noises are real, the sirens and ambience (or natural sound), is realistic, and the enemy catch phrases are hilarious. Some of my personal favorites: "I'm gonna circumcise your face!", "What you looking at me for? Wanna go out on a date? Hahaha". They make you laugh, and its even better when a Burner shouts out that they are going to "kill the pig scum", and then you follow up with a beautiful headshot. The noises when the gunshots, especially during a headshot, hits the body is so realistic, it can make you cringe. The splattering of a head with the Assault Rifle is something all you masochists out there will truly appreciate. Blowing off limbs with the Shotgun, and a cleaver in the face of your enemy is a lovely little twist that truly shows them who is boss. A small little niggle tho, occasionally when doing something, your "ally" will constantly get on your case to hurry up. After awhile it does get annoying, but if he pisses you off just shoot him. You get a cool little cut scene and get to see their bio, but have to restart.

Graphics

In terms of PS2 graphics, I reckon this game could give HM: Blood Money a run for its money (no pun intended!). The landscapes are lush and detailed, and even the characters are given a lot of detail. I mean sure, the Burner Gang members basically look the same (including bosses), but they are done in very high detail. All the emergency crews are individual and Eidos and Rocksteady really took their time in this game to make them seem above average. The look of the guns, bullets and effects when you hit an enemy are all done superbly. And excluding the TV cut scenes, the game cut scenes have high detail and are extremely useful in terms of giving you an overall idea of your mission. All in all it makes the game a true joy to play.

Controls

The controls in UC: RR are, IMO again, well suited for game play. You have the left analog stick to control movement, and the right one to control where you aim. Pressing R3 zooms in. The d pad is used to issue orders to your emergency crew ally's, either stay or follow, or their specific effect (e.g. break down door, heal etc). R1 is to shoot, R2 is secondary fire (only for some weapons, such as the shotgun, R1 will fire one barrel, R2 will fire both. L1 is to use your riot shield while L2 throws bombs. To cycle through your weapons, use Square. To cycle throws your throwing weapons, use Triangle. And to cycle through your melee weapons, press Circle. X reloads, skips cut-scenes, and interacts with objects. It is easy to adjust too, and what is helpful is that you can reload while still hiding behind your riot shield, something you will find invaluable later on.

Replayability

This game's Replayability value is HUGE! I myself have had it for 3 days now, and only have 40 out of the massive 205 medals! The levels get more fun as you raise the difficulty, and doing the first mission, with a fully upgraded assault rifle is a hell of a lot of fun. And just say you only got the Sharpshooter award in each mission the first time (e.g. myself), you can re do it and get the non lethal enforcer, survivor, detective etc. Just the fact that there are SOOO many upgrades makes it worth the time and effort of playing. And although sometimes you may get frustrated, don't give up, just keep on going!

Rent or Buy?

Definitely Buy. I rented it overnight and only got half way through. I loved it so much I went out and brought it the next day. It is hours of fun and really good if you feel like wanton destruction on bad guys.

Overall verdict

GET THIS GAME! If only for the fact that you get to beat people with your riot shield it is great fun if you’re bored, or just feel like some killing. Buy it, trust me it's a decision you will not regret. Happy Gaming!

Game Score

8.9

Reviewed By: Contributed