PlayStation 2

City Crisis

In the end, City Crisis comes off as a respectable action-packed arcade game that will provide hours of entertainment. It’s certainly not the answer that hardcore flight-sim fans might have been hoping for, but then again, it doesn’t pretend to be. Does it deserve a permanent place in your PS2 library? Ultimately, only you can answer that question. But, for those of you who are looking for something different to feed your PS2, you could do much worse than giving this game a shot. Now for heavens sakes, stop wasting time -- put on your helmet and headset, and go save the city!

City Crisis updates nonviolent rescue gameplay that Choplifter pioneered to modern 3D standards, with decent results. Explosions, hijackings, skyscraper fires, burning aircraft?you name it, you?ve got to save it from the cockpit of your helicopter. A light touch on the analog stick will be rewarded with precise control. The buildings and copter models are very attractive, though you may spot pop-up around the sprawling city. The victims cries for help in various stereotypical ethnic dialects are a little funny and a little disturbing.

Is this a way for Take-Two to undo the civic damage done by subsidiary Rockstar's State of Emergency? If so, it just might work – and us gamers get something, too! Using both analog sticks is pleasingly frustrating, and I actually gave enough of a damn about other people's lives to want to keep on with the missions. Crazy Taxi with a conscience.

Even though it drove me nuts, I couldn’t put it down. It’s not a must have, but it’s well worth a look.

Fliegen sie mit verschiedenen Hubis durch detailreiche Landschaften und machen sie ihren Job. Zwar ist die Grafik recht pixelig, aber der Spielspaß lenkt gut davon ab. Im Gegenteil, die Perspektive über den Dächern, ist schon sehr nett an zu sehen. Fazit: Spielerisch hat dieses Adventure-Game ganz klar Aufmerksamkeit verdient.

City Crisis is a decent game and is challenging enough for even the most experienced players to have some trouble unlocking the final levels. Most will find the frenetic pace of the various missions enough to keep them satisfied. While it doesn't take full advantage of the PS2's power, City Crisis does manage to be in a class all its own, which these days, is something to take notice of.

Men hur står det då till med utförandet? Ja, förutom att jag tycker att helikopterkänslan är riktigt bra - okej, man känner sig onekligen lite klumpig när man mitt i en räddningsaktion råkar köra rakt in i huset där de nödställda befinner sig, men att styra helikoptrar ska å andra sidan kräva en hel del träning - finns det inte så mycket att förundras över. Visuellt sett är det en ganska trist stad man befinner sig i, och jag saknar ett stämningsfullt soundtrack. En annan tråkig sak är att uppdragen blir ganska så enformiga efter ett tag. Sammantaget bidrar dessa brister till en tämligen medioker helhet. Och eftersom jag verkligen gillar idén tycker jag att det är synd.

Un titre qui avait tous les atouts en dépit de quelques défauts pour s'imposer comme un référence dans son domaine. Malheureusement il ne se renouvelle pas assez pour intéresser le joueur très longtemps et sont faible nombre de missions constitue l'un des ses plus gros handicaps.

In end City Crisis is no more than a budget title covering itself up in PS2 casing. I wouldn't recommend the game as a purchase, I hardly recommend it as a rental, but if you must, you must, so be it. From the Playstation quality visuals to the repetitive gameplay, City Crisis is a crisis to play. I suggest staying clear from the game, as it is another prime example of a Japanese game not meant for domestic release.

The bottom line, however, is that there's really no variety here, and that's the game's biggest fault. There is at least one hidden helicopter that can be unlocked, but it's a brave soul that can stand the tedium long enough to unlock it. But it tries...sorta. "Look, look!" it cries. "I also have a Time Attack mode! It's.... essentially the same as Mission Mode, but I have a Time Attack mode too!" Even that's not enough to save what could have been a cool game, had any real thought and/or work gone into holding it to a higher standard.

Syscom has tried to bring something new to the current library of PS2 titles, and while City Crisis may win some awards for originality the lack of depth and downright poor graphics doom this title to the bargain bins. I would really like to see this game concept developed further with a next-gen graphics engine and some improved camera control.

To succeed, City Crisis would have needed the best visuals, handling, and mission structure available -- and it has none of them. While it's not inconceivable that someone would find pleasure playing this game, the vast majority of the buying public should wait for Namco's Ace Combat 4.

Wieder mal ein Spiel, bei dem die Idee weitaus interessanter ist als die Umsetzung. Grafisch gerade mal durchschnittlich -selbst, wenn das augenfeindliche Flackern nicht wäre- und im Bereich Sound eine Lachnummer, wurde eine gute Idee einfach verpulvert. Das Spiel macht sogar eine gewisse Zeit lang Spaß - zumindest, bis man wieder in das nächste Gebäude kracht. Und das zeigt nur um so deutlicher, dass man viel mehr aus City Crisis hätte machen können. Spieler, die einen hohen Schwierigkeitsgrad lieben, sollten - einen entsprechenden Augenschutz vorausgesetzt- einen kleinen Blick auf das Spiel werfen. Alle anderen Hubschrauber-Sim-Fans sollten sich lieber selbst retten und auf Thunderstrike warten. Selbst wenn man dort keine Brände löschen muss.

If you'd told me prior to playing this City Crisis that I'd end up enjoying myself at all, I would have laughed in your face. But after actually playing, I would've apologized. Take-Two Interactive has finally scored some points with me and if they can build of off this mold, they could surprise a lot more people. City Crisis offers a short, but bitter-sweet adventure experience that could have been handled a little better. Give it at least a rental and maybe you'll be surprised too.

In terms of graphics, the city buildings look very cool from above, but they do suffer from the "jaggies" - quite common in early PS2 games. The fire itself looks somewhat fake, as does the water. The energetic music will pump your adrenaline though. City Crisis is an imaginative little game, but a little quality control could have gone a long way.