Alias does exactly what is expected of it – appeal to fans of the show while alienating everyone else.
Half spy drama, half fashion show, the Jennifer Garner vehicle "Alias" is what would happen if Britney Spears decided to go into the ass-kicking business instead of the mediocre pop tripe business. Gadgets, stealth, and fighting moves abound in the show, and to its credit, the game stays true to that basic setup.
While the core ideas behind Alias are solid, the problem arises with the fact that none of them are standouts. Stealth portions are primitive at best, due to spotty guard AI. The fighting segments, while awesome to watch, are horribly shallow. Gunplay isn't much better.
Graphically, Alias fares better than most recent games based on hot media properties, but still comes up short. A lot of detail clearly went into the environments, which is commendable, but many of the textures – particularly those on clothing – can only be described as blocky, and Sidney's running animations are one of the most ridiculous things I've seen in a video game. To be fair, the CG cinematics are admittedly gorgeous, and what the game lacks in visual punch, it more than makes up for with the rock-sold audio – the entire cast lent their voices and likenesses to the game, which goes a long way to making Alias feel like a lost episode of the show.
Fans of the show will undoubtedly want to check out Alias. Though the actual gameplay is quite lacking, the presentation values ensure that fans will be in the highest of heavens. For everyone else, there's much better material out there.
-George
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