Ecks vs. Sever

"I would give it a 9.5, but they won't let me"

Ecks vs. Sever, such an oddly named game. Names mean nothing to me, so I took a chance and bought it. This game was immensely overlooked, and I think it deserves a lot more recognition. This game keeps up with some of its more advanced first person shooter counterparts for the next generation consoles. It has a wide variety of guns, enemies, and very nicely designed levels. Some of the levels include running through city streets, climbing fire escapes, and blasting your way into a warehouse.

GAMEPLAY

While most Gameboy Advance first person shooters have clumsy, awkward controls, these controls are easy to get used to and smooth. The frame rate on this game runs very smoothly and never slows up, even when three or four enemies are rushing at you with blazing machine guns. There are a wide variety of guns including handguns, machine guns, sniper rifles, assault rifles, and a handful of explosives. Each level of the game has a few objectives that must be completed, as most of these games do. Before you start story mode, you have a choice of which character you choose, Ecks or Sever, each one with a very different plot line and levels. There are a total of twenty-four missions. Each course is varied and some seem overly complex for a Gameboy Advance shooter, such as opening a window to climb out on a fire escape to escape from someone chasing after you. If story mode just isn't your bag then you can try multiplayer. This game includes a few multiplayer games for you and your friends to play.

GRAPHICS

The graphics are so hot they could evaporate water, the graphics were amazing. They were really pushing the Gameboy Advance to it's maximum potential, all of the guns are very detailed, the bitmaps are quite complex, but the enemies could have used a little more detail. One thing that I really liked was the little details they put in it, like if you shoot a glass bottle it will shatter, or if you shoot a fire hydrant it will bust.

STORY

There is a lot of story in this game. The first time I played it I didn't even pay attention to it, but the second time around I did. If you care to get into the story be prepared for a piss load of reading. I thought it was worth it though, there was a bucket full a plot twists. But I do recommend reading the story.

CONCLUSION

If you find this game in a store, buy it! If you have a Gameboy Advance you need this game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/28/03, Updated 06/28/03