Urban Chaos: Riot Response

The Good
I just want to start of by saying I love this game. I'm personally not a big fan of first person shooters, so when I first rented this game I was a little leery, but once I was finished, I went right out and bought this game.

The enemies are very demented, they almost remind you of Manhunt or almost like a bunch a Jason Vorhees clones running at you, plus the amount of them running around keeps you blasting away, almost like cockroaches, you shoot one and three swarm you.

The weaponry in the game is awesome, everything from the assault rifle to shotguns and even the dreaded mini-gun which you can unlock, which will let you wipe out everything in its path. Plus the shield they give you really helps out in tough situations.

The Havok physics engine really does the game justice, they fall and react almost like a real human being and the slow-motion kill cam really makes the game very fun and interesting.

Another plus is the fast loading times, restarting at a previous checkpoint is virtually instant, making it very fun if you like to go back and play around with a certain area (my personal favorite is in the City Hall mission, just before you go on the roof to deal with the hostage situation where the one Burner will jump down from the hatch, it's a blast to kill this guy over and over and over and....well you get the idea)

The Bad
There are a few things that bothered me with this game, one of which is the support units that follow you, don't get me wrong its nice to have a cop running with you helping you out, but at times they have been accidentally shot when you try to go after a Burner. Plus searching down a medic for a medi-pak instead of just carrying one around yourself is really annoying.

I do like the Burners in this game, but the problem is they all almost seem the same, making it very repetitive shooting them over and over, plus since there are only a few voices done for the hundreds of these guys.

There are two other things that bothered me, but wasn't that much of an issue. One of which is the rescue missions in the burning apartments, you have to use a thermal mask, making it look very disorienting, plus you can take it off without it being fatal so it can be a pain. The Havok engine is great, I just wish you can blow arms and legs off as well, would be kinda fun, but I guess it might be a good thing, since it would give the game a Soldier of Fortune feel.

The Bottom Line
All in all, this is a great game, The Burners are a blast to kill and the storyline is very well done, it almost gives it a Robocop feel, just without the metal half-robot, half-man running around. If you love first-person shooters and love a lot of gun violence this game is for you. But if your an anti-gun advocate, then keep on walking, this game will make you cringe when you pump some buckshot in the chest of a Burner. I just hope that make a sequel soon, just with a different variety of gangs this time. Still though, a very great game through and through.