X-Squad

"He shoots and..... misses!"

X-Squad is a combat induced bullet releasing shooter-up that should be a cacophonic symphony for the “Doom” fiend in you. Is X-Squad a bang-up job or another long list of crappy shooters that is empty as the bullet cartridge?

You play “Ash” leader of a 4 person squad to help rid the world of crazy terrorists. You control “Ash” and command three other “squaders” through a maze of subways, business offices, and sewer tunnels in 9 segments to save the world. By the way, these places are infested with goons ready and willing to blow your head off. Do you have what it takes to save the world?

Ok, I am not going to beat around the bush here. The X-Squad sucks. The list of “cons” definitely outweigh the “pros”. From the controls, to the plot, to the so-so graphics “The X-Squad” at best is a mediocre title only to be rented.

Gameplay/Controls: 6/10

You control “Ash” to perfume several tasks. The first task is the basic running, shooting, and maneuvering. The control is ok and typical but they are a tad difficult. Unfortunately, you have to use both the “stick” and the “cross” buttons. Think “Syphon Filter” but more difficult to “roll” and “strife”. For instance, you have to tap the “L1/L2” TWICE to roll. Why not just once? In fact, throughout the game I hardly used these functions and found it a lot easier to just run and shoot.

The second function is the “command” function. This allows you to tell others what to do. Telling others what to do is useless and I found myself just doing what needs to be done. You have several “directive” objectives like “Recon”, “Stealth”, “Assault”, “Follow”, etc. Whatever I told them to do did not seem to matter and they just got in my way.

Like your team’s (lack of) AI the opposing force did excel either. Seemed they could shoot you from a mile away but couldn’t shoot themselves out of a paper bag.

The gameplay is simple. Run from checkpoint A to B to C. The checkpoints allow you to start from that point instead of the beginning of the board if you kick the bucket. When you successfully finish a board you earn points. These points are used to purchase weapons, armor, and various military objects to aid you in your quest. There are 9 levels and 9 bosses. I found the bosses ranged in difficulty but there were no secrets or strategies to their destruction, just run and shoot would do the job.

Story/Plot: 6/10

Seriously, I have no idea what is truly going on. You start the game infiltrating a compound of sorts and trying to meet up with your team. You then have to free hostages and take a doctor to her original lab to get something. And that something leads to a “boss” to another “boss” to another..... :sigh: Get my drift? In between there are tons of “flipping switches” and “opening doors”. In other words, there is a plot somewhere but the makers do not do a good job of sucking you into the game. I felt no attachment to Ash and his ploys. In fact, I did not even look forward to the cut scenes (which there to move the plot along) because it only added to the already paper-thin plot. I probably would have given the plot an even lower score but since I stopped caring since segment 2 I cannot objectively review the plot, however, the makers did not create enough excitement for me to care in the first place.

Graphics: 6/10

The first thing I noticed were the brilliant colors. The graphics are rich and colorful. The shadows and hues are very good and was impressed with the movements of the characters. For instance, during the FMV scenes the various shadow and reflections can be seen. However, overall graphics are not awe-inspiring and rather bland. The background graphics are repeated and the textures are similar. I have seen PSONE games look better than this one.

Music/Sound: 6/10
The music is fine. It’s that crappy techno stuff that can be heard in thousands of other shooters and racers. The music does the job as background filler but it does not add to the game either. The sound does the job too. The highlights include the shotgun and automatic weapons. I did like how the shells can be heard hitting the ground. I do like the “talkies” in the game. Unfortunately, the voices seem flat and some “in-game” voices are repeated, however, they do not detract from the game. If the game did not have “talkies” then I would have given this section a 5.

Overall, 989-Studios tried to create a game that is heavy in the “Doom” and light on a “Syphon Filter” style plot. In other words, not too heavy on the plot but on gameplay. This is fine but the gameplay is lacking in style, function, and FUN like the plot. There are 3 levels of difficulties to choose from but all of them offer the same in plot and characters. I suppose this would be ok for a person who owns it but seriously, rent it, play it on easy, beat it, and return in. After you return it don’t tell your friends that you wasted your money on a piece of crap game that does not offer much in plot or gameplay. With two former succesful action titles, “Syphon Filter 1/2” I don’t understand how or why 989 released this sub-par and mediocre title.

Summary:

Gameplay/Controls: 6/10
Story/Plot: 6/10
Graphics: 6/10
Music/Sound: 6/10

Final: 6/10

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 02/13/01, Updated 02/13/01