I haven't seen such a wide range of love-it-or-hate-it reviews of a game since Parasite Eve first landed its beautiful, over-hyped disk into most PlayStations.
Put simply: State of Emergency is a one-player, Fighting Force-style beat'em up set over four city or mall locations filled with hundreds of rioting characters.
That's it - nothing more or less. If that doesn't sound like fun to you (and the darn thing, while heavily cartoonish, is pretty frick'n bloody), then leave it alone. Destroy buildings, decapitate soldiers and chain gun dozens of people just for being in your way - this is definitely a way for the guys at the post office to blow off that steam in a MAKE BELIEVE world.
The graphics are simple, but being able to watch a 100 civilians run around while you fight another 20 guys at once is awesome.
The sound effects are a plus: AK-47s sound like AK-47s complete with echos and shell casings flying.
As for the flaws, the controls will have you mashing on the buttons due to an annoying camera. You can reset the camera by hitting the L1 button, but it's still a pain.
The game has a few modes, but nothing that will keep your attention past an hour or so.
Recommendation: $50 is too steep a price to pay, but this is a must rental for action fans. If you're a die-hard brawler fan who loved the old Double Dragon and Final Fight games, you may want to buy it (but be warned, this is only for ONE player). It should sell well enough to become a greatest hit one day, and it will be well worth the $25 by then. The game is overrated, but it's still a blast in short doses.
Honestly, I can't wait for a sequel that fixes the original's problems (Camera, multiplayer, an actual story line, more levels, online play, etc.).
Create an Account
Member Login
