Predator: Concrete Jungle

"A sad excuse for a game drenched in gore"

Predator: Concrete Jungle was suggested to me by a friend who swore that it was the best game ever. I have been sorely disappointed. Predator: Concrete Jungle is unfortunately a rather cruel game that wants nothing more than to make you forget about how utterly pitiful the game is by spraying enough blood to make Tom Savinni blush.

Graphics: The graphics are what the game focuses on, much like Doom 3. Although it doesn't hold a candle to the latter, the former actually is quite good. While the areas themselves are horrid to the eye, nothing but grey buildings, and the characters other than Predator look kind of like Barbie dolls when they move. . . you know, the only thing good about the graphics are the Predator, who actually looks like a Predator, and the blood. This is the problem. The designers apparently thought that a good Predator game consists of nonstop gore and the Predator. Most people think that they're right. Still, the blood and gore is excellent and plentiful for the maniac in all of us. 7/10.

Sound: While normally I don't pay much attention to the sound, the audio in Predator is horrific and painful enough for me to notice. The characters' voices all sound like they're waiting for a bus, while the narration had me scrambling for the mute button. The predator's scream everytime you have to heal didn't help matters. Again, the graphics hold what little good there is in this game. 1/10.

Control: One of the worst here. Controlling the Predator may seem daunting, and the designers have proven that. Being able to jump thirty feet into the air isn't fun if you can't get anywhere. The camera's the main problem here. It jumps around you as much as Predator. You can put it on manual, but it doesn't help much. It's just a bad camera. The game play's your standard button mashing, nothing new there. 1/10.

Gameplay: Ah, the ultimate in blasphemies. Here, we see where the designers got confused whether to have a stealth game or a beat-em-up. What did they do, loyal gamers? They did both poorly and shipped it. The fights are really not that entertaining to participate in. The fun's in the executions, and with so few, there's not much fun to be had. The missions are all rather childish in nature and begin to feel repetitive. It's sad to say that this game isn't focused on game play, but on graphics. This area gets left in the dust. 0/10.

Story: Worst. Story. Ever. This was clearly done at the last minute. The story has almost nothing to do with the game and, frankly, could have been taken out. The game's a 'kill everything' kind of game, so the fact that he was exiled is rather pointless. The story line has another flaw; it means we have to listen to that narrator over and over again. 0/10.

Final thoughts: This game is about the graphics. Blood going everywhere, skinning people, the simple things in life. That's it. That's where the fun of the game is, and there's not much to go around. This game is clearly aimed at people who need a Predator game, no matter how bad it is. The rest of us, however few of us there are, are left spellbound. This game missed such a nice opportunity to be a great game, but it just misses the bar.

Reviewer's Score: 1/10, Originally Posted: 06/27/05