Starsky & Hutch

"C'mon Hutch, stop fooling around and get this game!"

I remember when I was much younger, I used to play a game in the arcades called Lucky & Wild, where two people sit down in the machine, one person driving, and both using a light gun to shoot random enemies that would drive by. Now, when I read about Starsky & Hutch, I realized it was pretty much the same game as Lucky & Wild, so I played it right away. I was not disappointed.

Story...

You play as the actors in the show Starsky & Hutch who must track down and usually shoot the crap out of ''bad guys.'' There isn't much story as the game progresses through seasons with episodes with pretty much you taking down the other car(s). But I won't beat on the game for the story, as it was probably not made for one.

-/10

Gameplay...

You pretty much drive with the keyboard and shoot with the mouse in this game, the controls are simple and not hard to learn. You must finish your objective which consists of you: a) Destroying your opponent's vehicle, b) Protect someone from being completely obliterated, or c) Getting to certain places within the time limit. This game also adds secondary objectives, items which unlock various features, power-ups, and a viewer rating, all to spice up the game. The viewer rating is a main part in the game, you must keep your viewer rating above zero to prevent failure of the mission. It acts as almost a timer that can be easily modified. When you do crazy tricks such as jumping, skidding, dodging on-coming traffic by a hair, and driving on two wheels, it will add to your viewer rating. Also, things like hitting breakable objects, ramming/shooting your opponent, etc. will raise your rating. Things like getting shot, bumping into walls, hitting civilians, hitting innocent cars, etc. will result in a loss of your viewer rating. All these things you must keep in mind to successfully complete the mission, if you manage to get through the level without losing any VR points (viewer rating) but racking them up will be both rewarding and look real stylish.

Secondary objectives include destroying a number of whatever item, having good accuracy, not hitting any cars, and many more. There are also things like car keys and cards you must collect to unlock things like a movie player, sound test, and mini-levels (like races). There are also power ups like boosts, new guns, gun jamming, etc. to give you a somewhat upper-hand. So you have a lot to keep aware of if you wish to complete a level 100%.

All these little additions to the gameplay keep it refreshing and exciting, overall, gameplay is great.

9/10

Graphics...

I'm not very picky when it comes to graphics, as long as the game plays good, I'm okay. The graphics in this game aren't top notch, (character's mouths don't move, for example) but still look great. It is made up with cel-shaded cinematics and awesome car flipping action. Although they aren't anything to drool over, the graphics will not disappoint you.

7/10

Sound...

The music and sound in this game are great. You've have some funky '70s music (if you haven't seen the show, think Shaft) and witty comments will keep you occupied. The gun shots and car crashes just sound average, nothing mind blowing. Overall, sound is great with its classic music and corny comments.

8/10

Replayability...

This is all up to you. The reason you would play this game again is the same reason you would want to play your racing game again, or first person shooter. The only reason I play the levels again is to collect things I missed and to do some crazy tricks.

-/10

Buy, Rent, Trash?

Again, many people will find this game very repetitive, but if you're the guy (or girl) who needs to get a perfect score or you like to see some awesome stunts, you will be playing this game over and over. Regardless of what other people decide to do, I say Buy!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/27/03