State of Emergency 2 Preview

When Rockstar Games released State of Emergency hot on the heels of their smash success with Grand Theft Auto III, gamers were incredibly excited about the prospects of a new game from the controversial game publisher. State of Emergency fell flat on its face, disappointing everyone and their grandmother with its anemic gameplay and pathetic attempts at being a game with violence and substance. Only the violence showed through, and that wasn’t even fun. Abandoned by Rockstar and picked up by Bam! Entertainment, State of Emergency 2 sees some improvements, but is more or less the same game.

The idea of the original saw Spanky, an overweight thug causing disturbances to lash out against an evil corporation in the near future. SOE2 takes place ten years after the original, and low and behold, the corporation has taken over again. It’s once again up to Spanky (who looks remarkably similar ten years later) and a few others to incite the people to revolt against the corporate domination.

The graphics have been slightly improved, and the artistic style has been slightly altered. The art direction went a little darker, giving the four environments a grittier feel. The general look of the game could still easily be confused for the original, it’s not THAT much different. Once a few windows are broken or shots are fired, a noticeable difference does occur, however. NPC’s no longer run about in a fit of hysteria – they actually riot now, a great improvement over the original.

Other new features will be welcomed by those faithful to the original. A new easier targeting system has been adopted as well as the ability to swap between characters within a level. Spanky may rule the streets, but a sniper buddy can clear the way for him from rooftops of buildings. Gamers can now recruit gang members to assist in the cause, and give them basic orders. The game spans a ghetto, a prison break, the familiar downtown shopping area, and the utopian capital where the corporation calls home. Eight to ten hours of gameplay are helped out by the addition of versus and cooperative modes for those who would fight friends instead of faceless corporations.

State of Emergency 2 just doesn’t look like it will cause any riots on the sales charts just yet. In fact, State of Emergency 2 looks as though it’s what the original SHOULD have been. Those who were into the first one should definitely give this a try, but those who are looking for a little retribution from the first should not get fooled again. State of Emergency 2 will be available in the first quarter of 2005.

For All E3 2004 Previews