Ecks vs. Sever

"An Awesome Looking FPS for GBA, But Is It Worth It?"

Gameplay: 8/10
Very cool story which helps the gameplay out. The first 2-3 missions you play of EVS you will think you just blew your money on the game. As you learn to play the game (It was a bit awkward at first for me), things only get better. You progress through different environments and encounter many bad guys to shoot up. The variety in gameplay throughout the story is awesome. The missions aren't all, ''kill everyone in sight.'' There are objectives to complete, which really makes the game how good it is. (For more detail on this read the ''Story'' section below). The latter levels of Ecks and Sever are pretty darn hard, so it should take a decent amount of time to beat the game as Ecks AND as Sever.

Graphics:9/10
Where EVS really shines. The graphics are awesome for GBA. The guns are crystal clear, and the backgrounds aren't blocky. Enemies tend to be a little pixilated, but it doesn't detract from the overall value of the game. Graphics of EVS are THE STRONGEST POINT of the game.

Sound: 7/10
Besides the menus there is no music during gameplay. You'd think this would really make the game stink. It really isn't THAT bad, sometimes it's actually nice for there to be no music. When you gun down a bad guy, you will hear them fall to the floor in a THUMP. Some enemies that can take more than 1 shot will grunt or sigh when they are being shot at. The firing noises and reloading sounds are spot on, which is a nice feature.

Story: 9/10
The story of EVS is pretty unique. You can play as Ecks or Sever, and they tend to meet up during the game. To me it was interesting to see both sides of the story. In one of the missions you are Ecks, trying to sniper Sever with your sniper rifle before getting blown up by on of her grenades. In the same mission # playing as Sever, you must avoid a computer controlled Ecks' sniper shots and blow him up with your supply of grenades. It's variety like this in the story that makes you want to keep playing the game. One of the stronger points of the game.

Overall: 8/10
A great FPS for GBA. It suffers a bit from the fact that there is no music during gameplay, but an awesome game none the less. Most places sell for 9-19 bucks new, so go pick up a copy of EVS.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/18/02, Updated 07/18/02