PlayStation 2

Hidden Invasion

Un titre à éviter même si l'on est un fan de beat'em up et que l'on est en manque. L'ennui s'intalle rapidement et le tout manque cruellement d'intérêt, voici un soft qui retombera bien vite aux oubliettes.

Were it not for the horrendous camera angles this game could have been quite decent. The controls are adequate, the levels are large and varied and the gameplay is often frantic. But playing a game when looking at a massive wall instead of your own character, or not being able to see who or what you are fighting every few minutes just totally ruins the experience. Surely the developers could have fixed the cameras before release, or was is a case of the silly season sales? I'm sure it was the latter. Also, where is the 2-player support? Almost every beat 'em up since the early 90's has included a multi-player mode to increase the longevity of the title. Obviously Toka didn't have the time to fix the game before Christmas, and nor should you make the time for this game. It's probably only worth a rent at best.

How can I bring this to an end? Easy do not rent this game, sure as hell do not buy it, and for god's sake put it as far from your mind as possible. The few things this game does well is completely overshadowed by the horrendous attributes of what could have been an excellent game. Perhaps this invasion should have remained hidden!

Hidden Invasion allows players to become the leader of a special forces taskforce that has to confront an eerie alien threat. Features include interactive destructible environments, innumerable weapons and weapon systems, a dynamic difficulty level that adapts to the development of the players, and advanced A.I, routines. Interestingly enough, the European and American versions of Hidden Invasion removed the anime character designs and humor-inspired storyline of its Japanese counterpart Gun Hearts.

As bad as it is, Hidden Invasion does a few things right. For one thing, the bad guys go down spraying bullets, which looks pretty cool. I like how you can kick a thug when he's down, and the hand-to-hand combat isn't bad. But the basic gameplay gets dull in a hurry. Hidden Invasion can be found lurking in your local bargain bin - avoid it at all costs.