Headhunter

"Metal Gear meets cliche' story line, meets above average game."

Like many do, I enjoy the Metal Gear series a lot. And when I saw what Headhunter had to offer, I knew I had to have it. When I finally got the game and played it, I had already knew from the ads that it would be a cliched story line. But I went with it, knowing it would be worth it in the end. And I have to say, Headhunter is a very good, and underrated game. It's not Metal Gear, but hey, it's also not bad...

STORY-7

Yes, the story has been used so many times in the past, but hey, it gets the job done. You are Jack Wade, a bounty hunter who wakes up from a coma, not knowing anything about his past. He is encountered by a mysterious hottie(Love interest if anything, right?), who offers him a job. So, of course he takes it. From there, it's a series of bad voice acting and predictable plot twists. Still, the story has something going for it that hooked me.

GRAPHICS-9

The graphics in Headhunter are excellent. The animation of Jack is fluid, and the CG cinemas used to tell the story are great. The textures are crisp and detailed, and the environments are a good size. The in-game graphics are good as well, but their not exactly MGS2. Still, not a lot can measure up to that. Either way, the graphics pleased me a lot.

CONTROLS-9

The controls in Headhunter are really good, and are smooth with their approach. The combat controls are easily my favorite. Popping out of a corner, and firing off your shotgun, killing some baddies, and then running like hell is great. The stealth movements are great, too. Pressing triangle will allow you to lean up against a wall, and move along it, peering out for unsuspecting enemies. The bike segments are great too. But, as mentioned in another review, when you speed off fast enough, Jack will do a wheelie. Well, this is all good and stuff, but when he does the wheelie, you can't turn! This counts for alot of unwanted crashes. But still, it has really enjoyable gameplay.

SOUND-8

The sound isn't the best, but it's still good. And while the voice acting is stale at best, I didn't really mind it. Gunshots and the motorcycle sounds are well done, and fit in good with the game. Good sound detail in the game though, it's adequate, and get's the job done.

OVERALL

STORY-7
GRAPHICS-9
CONTROLS-9
SOUND-8

Final Score: 9

Rent or Buy: I'd say rent first, then buy. Rent so you can see if the game is your style, then if you like it, buy it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/07/02, Updated 08/07/02