Better Than It Should Be
PlatformOVERALL
Xbox9.00
Overall 9.00
Like another Eidos title Project Snowblind, that it probably shares a game engine with, Urban Chaos: Riot Response is way better than it should be, which makes it a tremendously rewarding game to play. I picked this up as an impulse buy at Best Buy for $9.99, but after playing it I would have been happy to pay $50 - $60, as Urban Chaos provides a unique take on the FPS genre.

As a "shoot first, ask questions later" cop your job is to rid the city of a incendiary gang of no-good-niks using whatever mean necessary, which usually entails smashing in the skulls of your opponents using a riot shield or incapacitating them with a taser. Once you start using the shield (by pressing the left trigger) for both cover and melee assaults you wonder why such a device has not been implemented in many more FPS games -- it is a satisfying and useful tool.

Periodically Urban Chaos will expose you to "hostage situations" where you have to carefully approach a hostage taker and shoot him without shooting his victim, all while he shoots and lobs nail bombs at you, which ratchets up the tension quite a bit.

Urban Chaos also manages to successfully mix in three aspects of gaming I usually abhor, namely, tactical shooting, live action FMV and escort missions. Yes, I can hear your screams from here, but somehow, the developers of Urban Chaos manage to make these components a fun and involving part of the game.

Plenty of replay and bonus missions to be unlocked, it's a pretty game with it's own aesthetic and just a hell of a lot of fun.
Posted by aspro Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:34:20
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