Shadow Force: Razor Unit

"Brining peace to the mideast, one bullet at a time"

Concept: You are a part of America's finest. You've been sent into the Middle East to take on missions against terrorist groups, however something goes terribly wrong....sound familiar?

Graphics: 7/10
The graphics of this game are absolutly gorgeous. The gun models are very nice and very realistic. The maps are also very nice with some variety so you don't feel like you've just been looking at sand all day and night. The part where it loses points would be that the terrorists all look pretty much the same as do the civilians. Also it has this nasty habit of having flashlights shine through solid walls. Oh, and when you see the flashlights used up close it's really cool.

Sound: 9/10
Very well done on the sound effects. Each of the guns have a different sound and they sound realistic. There is an obvious difference when firing an M16 and an AK, and nothing is more satisfying than the sound of the Uzi showering your targets with bullets.

Controls: 8/10
Pretty much the same basic set up of any FPS and just as customizable. Customizing the controls is simple and can be done at any time. Like a lot of newer games they have Turn, Strafe, and Lean.

Playability: 6/10
Don't get me wrong, the game is pretty sweet, especially for an unheard of title. Blowing away terrorists and destroying AA guns never gets tired. Missions are varied, however even on ones that seem like they would use stealth, you pretty much just run around shooting the bad guys. Also the levels are very linear. You pretty much go from start to finish and do a couple objectives along the way, or you go from the starting area, run out and do stuff, then come back to where you started.

Overall: 8/10
Without the hype of Counterstrike or Battlefield 1942 this game snuck it's way onto store shelves and is a sleeper hit. Graphics are top notch, sound effects are very well done, and if you can find someone else who has it, bust out some multiplayer action. This game has few faults as mentioned above with the flashlights, lack of stealth in stealth missions, and point A to point B missions. Also a minor one would be that they can't decide if it's American or american in the game, and for some reason your American character seems to be French or something.

Another great reason to get it would be the cheap factor. It's been out for a while and since it isn't a big named title has moved it's way onto the ''I can afford section.'' You can pick this up for a single from anywhere between $10-$5.00 or you can get it in a 4 pack of games with Deus Ex, Tomb Raider, and Quake 2 for about $20. This is a definate must get.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/09/03