24: The Game (PS2)
This tactical shooter is based on the excellent TV
series ‘24’ and the PS2 game is just as good.
Gameplay: 85%
For those not
familiar with the TV series, you play a character in the game called Jack
Bauer who is a CTU (Counter Terrorist Unit) agent. I don’t want to ruin the
storyline for you by saying too much, but it follows a similar pattern as
the TV series, with terrorists, bombs, attempts to kill the President, and
plenty of twists and turns.
What is fun about the game is that there are a lot of different mission
types. You get stealth missions, driving ones, sniper ones, and you can also
be on foot following someone. They’re not all great though, as the driving
missions aren’t that good, while the artificial intelligence for some of the
terrorists is a bit poor at times. The storyline is excellent though, and is
always moving quickly, even in some of the stealth missions.
There are also loads of mini games you can play which are tied into the
story. Some are simple logic based puzzles which are not that great, but the
best is an interrogation one where Jack has to use his ‘charm’ to get the
person being interrogated to cooperate. This person has a stress meter and
you have to raise and lower it by being aggressive or calm. You only have a
limited time though to find the correct stress level that makes the guy
talk.
What I also like about the gameplay is that they haven’t gone for the regular analogue stick controls. They still use the analogue sticks but in a different way, I hate it when games always have the same controls, but in shooters they should change it a bit, and they have done well here.
Graphics:
80%
The graphics
are relatively good, with the characters being the best part as they all
look realistic. The only really bad thing is the outside world when driving
as it’s not very good, but that is all that is a let down. You also get
split screen update bits which show the different things happening in the
story all at the same time, just like in the TV series.
Sound: 95%
The sound
sometimes lets down a lot of games, but definitely not here. The sound is
very realistic and that is partly because they have got the real actors to
do some of the voices. Therefore, if you are a fan of the actual TV series
it makes the game much more appealing, while the music is also good, and
adds to the tension.
Value:
85%
As there are
loads of different levels, I think that the game lasts a very long time.
Once you have completed it though I’m not sure whether it has too much
replay value.
Conclusion:
This shooter
based on the TV show is definitely a good game for the PS2. The storyline is
great, as is the presentation, but the gameplay is not always as good, and
at times they seem to be trying to fit too much into the game. Hopefully
they will improve some of the weak points though and bring out a sequel on
the PS3. To really enjoy this game though you need to be a fan of the TV
series, otherwise you may not find it as fun.
Overall Score: 86%