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    24: The Game

    Game » consists of 5 releases. Released Feb 28, 2006

    24: The Game is a third-person shooter for the PlayStation 2 based on the hit television series 24, as Jack Bauer and the rest of the Counter Terrorist Unit try to foil terrorist attacks in Los Angeles.

    cardon's 24: The Game (PlayStation 2) review

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    Step into the shoes of Jack Bauer

    Not many shows today have become runaway hits, but one that has is 24. The series is known for its somewhat realistic stories and gripping action. Featuring a diverse cast of characters and plots, the show is able to pull its audience into the world of espionage and terrorism. 24 has changed the way TV shows are looked at and now it’s moving on to a new medium. The series is trying to bring its intense story and action to the Playstation 2 in the form of 24: The Game. The game is developed by Sony Cambridge (Primal, Ghosthunter) and published by 2K games. While 24: The Game manages to bring the elements that made the show successful, but that’s not saying the game is of the same quality.

    Story is one of the most important aspects of 24 and the game does an admirable job of presenting a new plot in the 24 universe. The game takes place between seasons two and three. This answers some questions that were left unanswered such as how Chase Edmunds became Jack’s partner and how President Palmer recovered from the attempt on his life. All the main characters from the show such as Tony, Michelle, Kim, and President David Palmer all make appearances. The appearances of characters like President Palmer and Michelle will make fans happy since they are not on the current season of the show. The plot of the game revolves around an assassination attempt on the vice president. Your mission is to stop this from happening while uncovering further conspiracies. The overall story is solid but it’s the way that it’s told which the weak part is. The one thing that is lacking the most is the intensity that is found in the show. While the performances are solid the game just seems to be missing that edge found in the show. The length of the cinemas is also a disappointing aspect. Fans of the show probably would have loved for long MGS style sequences to flesh out the story but sadly you don’t get that. The average length of a cutscene is under three minutes so it doesn’t establish the drama that is found in the show. The cutscenes also establish the upcoming mission too obviously. There will be a cutscene showing a bomb and of course you need to defuse it in the next mission. The story while well written, but is just executed the wrong way.

    24 is known for its unique presentation, primarily the multiple camera panels. This camera style fits the game perfectly for the cinema sequences. It is also used in the actual gameplay but it doesn’t necessarily make the game any better. The technique is best used when showing upcoming threats or clues but it’s a bit disorienting when you enter a door and a new panel pops up. The other elements 24 are known for, such as its acting and music, is in full force in the game. All the actors provide good performances that are on par with their screen work. The new actors brought in are top notch and fit perfectly with the game. 24 also provides one of the last performances of the late actor Andreas Katsulas, best known for portraying G’Kar on the show Babylon 5. The music is composed by the series composer Sean Callery, and uses existing themes from the show while providing new themes. The music definitely adds to the experience and will get fans pumped up for the action scenes

    One thing the game manages to do is accurately depict the characters. The character models resemble the real world counterparts to an amazing degree. The accurate depiction of the actors is definitely the games highest achievement in terms of graphics. Not much can be said for the rest of the games graphical presentation. Sony Cambridge used an enhanced version of the Primal engine but certain problems that were apparent in Primal have not been addressed. One of the main problems is the characters faces. While they look good, they don’t emote that much and the lip synching is off. The faces look a bit stiff so in a way the character models are good looking mannequins. The environments feature both destructible and moveable objects, but for the most part everything is bland. There isn’t a lot of detail littered throughout the levels so you may grow tired of walking through bland environments. Both the character models and environments suffer from obvious texture stitching. Seeing the seam of Jack Bauer’s jacket may take some out of the experience.

    While the show has its fair share of action translating this to a game works at times but falters at other points. The controls in theory sound good but don’t control that well. To aim you press L1 and you fire with R1. When you aim the camera goes into a Resident Evil 4 behind the shoulder view. This is good concept but it seems the camera is zoomed in too close so it’s difficult to view more than 1 enemy. It’s also a bit difficult to target enemies. Targeting is done via flicking the right analog stick. Many games have tried flick targeting and 24 doesn’t do it any better. The system just feels loose and flicking the right stick during the heat of battle can be problematic. Driving is also heavily featured in the game, but doesn’t control any better than the shooting. The vehicle controls feel very loose and unresponsive. These control issues can cause problems in some of the harder vehicle missions such as evading police. The one element that is done best in the game is the interrogations. Not only are these easy to control, they’re fun to play and best capture the essence of the show. During these missions you use different techniques to break the enemy’s mental state. You may go soft at first, but you may go up in their face demanding for information which may lead to you pressing your gun against their head. These scenes are well directed and provide some of the best moments in the game. There are also various mini-games throughout the main levels. These range from defusing bombs, analyzing satellite info, or tracking something down. These sequences are short and easy to play but are fairly predictable. They are pretty basic throughout the game and the difficulty only changes through the amount of time you have.

    Another aspect that 24 is known for is for presenting every episode in real time. The real time element of the show has quickly become one of its trademarks. Sadly the game doesn’t have any real time functionality. As you progress through the game you don’t get a sense that you are going through the day hour by hour which is one of the key parts of the show. The first “hour” of the game can easily be completed in around fourteen minutes. The only indication that you’re entering a new hour is by an indication on the screen. It just doesn’t feel right when you’ve complete 2 hours in the games story in 1 hour of game play. The levels themselves are rather straightforward and there are a few which have time limits. These time limits help give the game a sense of time since the game isn’t in real-time. The overall difficulty of the game is fine but there are a few missions, especially some of the driving levels, which will have you playing the same hour over and over again until you pass it. This may get a bit tedious to some since the flow of the game is stopped to a complete halt.

    The game has its fair share of flaws which may only make the game appealing to fans of the show. Fans are definitely going to be excited to play as Jack Bauer but the average game player may not find it all appealing. The story of the game is accessible to people unfamiliar to the show but chances are they may not appreciate the story as much as the fans. Even the fans of the show may be disappointed with the games levels and story. If you’re a hardcore fan of the show, the game is a buy since it only retails for $39.99. Everyone else who may not be familiar with the show should rent 24 and see if they’re willing to invest the time. 24 is one of the most appealing and action packed shows on TV today but the game only cracks the surface of what it could have been.

    Other reviews for 24: The Game (PlayStation 2)

      Play it for the episodes, not the game. 0

       24: The Game does correctly all the things that a die-hard 24 fan would care about. The presentation, as far as the camera angles, multi-paned tricks, and ridiculous-yet-entertaining twists and turns are all here in full force. The cast -- with the surprising exception of Kiefer Sutherland, who sounds like he rolled out of bed for his role -- delivers a convincing performance. Finally, writer Duppy Demetrius does a decent job at (sort of) tying Seasons 2 and 3 together. Meanwhile, those who wa...

      4 out of 4 found this review helpful.

      Awesome for 24 fans, but the "game" part doesn't really work 0

      It’s kind of a stretch to call 24: The Game a “game” because that is not the reason that anyone has played it. As a piece of the 24 universe it is meant to fill in some gaps and tie up some loose threads between seasons 2 and 3 of the show, and to that end it does a respectable job. Several threads from the end of Day 2 that were either hardly addressed or not explained at all in Day 3 have lots of light shed on them. However, as a video game for the Sony PlayStation 2 game console it’s really a...

      0 out of 0 found this review helpful.

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