State of Emergency Platinum

You play as one of five selectable characters that's going up against The Corporation--a tyrannical group that has the city in an iron grip. The city is in an utter state of disarray and the citizens are rebelling. Amazingly, up to 250 characters can be rioting on screen; it's very surprising that the developers were able to render so many moving characters while keeping a smooth frame rate. Basic gameplay consists of picking up numerous weapons and objects to cause as much damage as humanly possible. Providing context to the mindless violence are Revolution and Chaos modes: the former is the game's story mode, with over 175 missions, while the latter is a single-session mode with a few variations.

For the most part, State of Emergency is an enjoyable cacophony of senseless violence, but there are some flaws: although Revolution boasts an impressive number of missions, they do get repetitive; the game screams for a multiplayer mode, but it's strictly one-player. In spite of these flaws, the game remains addictive and fun. It bears repeating that gamers looking for another GTA3 will not find it here: this game provides an arcade-like experience that's excellent, but in a very different way. Parents should note that this game carries an 18 rating for violence and gore. --Raymond M Padilla

WHAT'S GOOD:
Did your boss give you a dressing-down? Girlfriend just jilted you? Then relieve your violent urges by beating civilians to death with other people's severed heads! Rockstar were hounded about the violence of the GTA games and so they took the violence out of GTA3...and made it into a game in it's own right! This game is comic homicidal violence in essence and the diversity of weapons with which to abuse your fellow man is very good, ranging from rocket launchers to dustbins. You'll never hear sweeter words than "Congratulations, you've killed...everybody!".

WHAT'S BAD:
The game does get very repetetive, very quickly, so it doesn't have a constant playability factor. Also the story mode of the game is rather poorly realised and I felt that they should have put a bit more effort into it (it seems almost like an afterthought). So, despite it's myriad charms, you're better off buying a GTA game and going on a killing spree, because with GTA you know you've got an involving game to play if you tire of the random violence - no such luck here.


More train wreck than Grand Theft Auto   April 27, 2004
Mr. Od Smith (Coulsdon, Surrey)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

I admit it - when I first heard about this game, I was intrigued by the concept - basically, a riot sim. After all, it was from the guys that made the GTA games (yes, I know I said GTA3 is vastly overrated, and stick to that, but ignore that for a minute), and there was a whole heap of possibilities on offer.

Then I played it.

If anyone has ever said that the mission structures on GTA are repetitive, they haven't seen anything yet. On this game, there's a whole heap of missions on EVERY level in Story mode, which are mind-numbingly similar,infuriating, and they get you nowhere. I mean, how many times on the Mall level can you escort people to and from places, assassinate people, or find an item. And when you complete it, you just unlock a new character, who is the exact same as the two you can chose - apart from in look, obviously. And this repeats for more levels until you complete the game.

However, there is one thing that saves the game from ** ignonomy: Chaos Mode.

While the Story mode may repeat, repeat, repeat and repeat, Chaos mode is where the game shines - and is exactly what the whole game should've been like. You go through the levels as before, but this time it's (literally) a riot. There's all manner of weapons left and right, and you have carte blanche to cause as much havok as humanly possible. Security guards, triads, street punks, military - all of them are out to get you, and there's a ton of weaponary at your fingertips to pick up, use, and discard at your leasure. No longer are you stuck with nightsticks, in other words, but get to choose between machine guns, flamethrowers, bazookas andthe always-good-for-a-laugh shotgun. Also, the play works in the way that you have to think fast, and use whatever's nearest - all of a sudden, the option to use severed heads and limbs works as you search for the next Weapon of Crowd Destruction.

Of course, doing this well unlocks the other carnage feast, Last Clone. This time, you have a few hundred clones on the run, and you have to get that number down to 0. It shouldn't be fun, but it still is - even when running around looking for the last handful to complete the area.

In all, it isn't a Total Immersion game like Final Fantasy, which it wasnever intended to be. However, it isn't the guilty pleasure it was supposed to be, like GTA. My advice is to rent the game, get some mates around, a couple of pizzas, and a lake of beer. Then rack up obscene amounts of bloodshed on Chaos mode, and you'll get an enjoyable experiencefrom it. Anything more, and you may well regret it.


What a Shame   October 29, 2003
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

When i heared the hugely appreciated rockstar games was due to release a new title after the highly succesful GTA 3, i splashed the cash to buy it. To be perfectly honest i was expecting it to be like GTA 3 in terms of graphics but thats me. I was dissapointed with the outcome.
It has the gore and the fun factor to begin with, but the dodgy gameplay and the dodgy camera angles make it far from the game i expected it to be. So much after 3 months i have sold it. A game that doesn't make you wanna play again and again. But credit to Rockstar for trying, and bringing out the hugely succesful GTA vice city last year, which i know doubt have in my collection. I'm a big fan of Rockstar but its a shame this game turned into a dissapointment.


SPEACHLESS!!!!!!!!   September 6, 2003
3 out of 6 found this review helpful

This game is the best. Pure mental and 100% violent at such a low price on amazon one glimps and it will be bought it is a game that will blow you away, you wont be able to put the contoller down. Great graphics buy it or you will loose out.


A Great game of fun   July 14, 2003
Alexander Pentecost (Scotland)
This game is a great game and should not be tagged mediocre it is a must for collectors of the GTA games this is not as good as gta but it is a game gta gamers should buy it has everything from Hand pistols to rocket guns and also has everything from peper spray to baseball bats you can smash windows throw buckets and benches. This game makes beating any normal person up an art it is simply sublime it ranges from a normal city mall to a corparation head quaters. A MUST!!!!!!!!