| Product: |
G Police (PS) |
| Date: |
04.10.04 (492 review reads) |
| Rating: |
 |
Advantages: More G-police, Great graphics for PS1
Disadvantages: Not as good as the original, Unrealised potential
I must admit to being slightly biased about this review as the original G-Police was my very first playstation game and I still regard it as one of the best games I have ever played.
From its wonderful control method to its mind-blowing cinematic sequences, G-Police impressed thousands with its immersive gameplay and incredible graphics. Needless to say, that is quite a legacy to live up to, so, now that the sequel has finally arrived, does it deliver what all us G-Police hungry gamers are after?
Weapons of Justice carries on from where G-Police left off, plot wise. After the timely defeat of the corrupt nanosoft corporation, the G-Police were left extremely low on resources, still days away from reinforcements arriving. Gang warfare escalated, leaving the G-Police in more and more difficult situations. And when the reinforcements (in the form of a team of marines) finally do arrive, they hardly provide the help and support that the G-Police are in need of.
One of the areas in which the original game excelled was presentation. The all FMV cinematic sequences which kicked in frequently were stunning, and really helped to enhance the plot. However, in Weapons of Justice, the developers have chosen to use in game graphics for the cinematic sequences (apart from the intro and end sequences) and although these are adequate, they often look scruffy and do little to excite you about what's going to happen next when compared to G-Police's. I appreciate the fact that using game graphics cuts down development time, but its hardly an improvement over the original. In fact, its a step back! That said, the FMV intro and end sequences are excellent.The menu screens are fine, but when you look through the one's that could have been used (in the artwork section) you can't help thinking that this is another missed opportunity. The map screens are not up to the standard of the original game's detailled blueprints, and its often difficult to see even what direction you're facing. The music is good throughout, as are the sound effects, but the extremely good theme from G-Police has been dropped for some reason. That said, the mood music works very well at enhancing the atmosphere. Overall, though, the game feels unfinished on the presentation side of things.
I am pleased to say that the game has retained the very atmospheric graphics of G-Police, with the industrial cityscapes looking as believable as ever. Civilian vehicles zoom about realistically, with huge boards on tankers, blimps and buildings flashing advertisements for obscure products of the future (what the hell is sploogie?!). The game is full of neat graphical touches like the holograms of the G-Police and Marine logos hovering outside their bases and the brilliant explosions and weapon effects. However, the graphics suffer dreadfully from slowdown at some points in the game, and the frame rate is quite slow, and looks poor when compared to the likes of Omega Boost. Also, the locations are not as varied or imaginative as in G-Police, although the stealth mission is superb - its just a shame that it doesn't last a bit longer.
And that brings us on to another gripe I have about G-Police 2. It has some superb elements but they're horribly underused. Take, for example, the Venom Gunship, easily the best vehicle in the game. It has three primary weapons, an 80GW laser, a 120GW laser and a scatter cannon. Yet of the ten or so missions in which it is used, the scatter cannon is only used once, as is the 120GW laser. These two weapons are the most satisfying in the game to use, so why on earth are they only used in two missions?
One of the new and more attractive elements of the game is the ability to pilot five different vehicles - two gunships, the Havoc and the Venom (carried over from the original game), an armoured truck named the Rhino, a walker in the mould of ED209 named the Raptor and a space fighter called the Corsair. The Havoc and the Venom are very similar to those in
G-Police 1, but have been made slightly easier to pilot since the first game. Although this may make the game easier to pick up to newcomers to the series, I think the first game's controls were more intricately superb than these. Admittedly, it took me more than a month to get the hang of the controls for G-Police, but that was just part of the fun. I suppose not all people persevered that far, and that is why it was not as popular as it should have been. One thing that puzzles me greatly is the omission of a hover down button. In G-Police, one of the best tactics for avoiding enemy fire was to hover up and down, whilst pitching the ship in order to shoot at the enemy. This worked excellently on gunboats, but is now impossible. I do not like the new locking on system, either, whereby the enemy has to stay within your sights in order to fire off a missile. In G-Police, all you had to do was approach the enemy, lock on with a quick tap of R1 and then retire to a safe distance and enjoy the fireworks. I know this is the coward's way out, but you still had to deal with fighters sent to dispose of you. I'm glad to see that the great enemy AI has been retained and improved, with fighters deliberately drawing your fire away from a more important objective. Anyway, back on the subject of the new vehicles, the Raptor is great fun for a while, but becomes boring and is used for too many missions in a row. The Rhino is only used for a couple of missions, and only has the best brought out of it in the secret missions, which not everyone will find. It is also tricky to battle with. The best new vehicle is the Corsair, only used in the final missions which take place in outer space. This is where G-Police 2 really excels and the final mission leaves you yearning for more.
After all my criticisms, you may be starting to wonder if I even like G-Police 2. But I have said little so far about the most important element of any game - the way it plays. And to be honest with you, bar all its minor faults, G-Police 2 is fantastic. Its fun, long lasting and very rewarding. There are loads of secret missions and pictures to uncover, and its three levels of difficulty over the 30 main missions will keep you gripped for weeks. There's nothing like blasting that last annoying fighter to bits or finally completing that mission that you're stuck on, and as the mission complete music kicks in, you're left with an immense sense of achievement.
So, in conclusion, I am left with the awkward feeling that this sequel is simply not as good as its predecessor. Sure, its still wonderful to play, but you can't help feeling that a few more months in development would have produced a much better game. I wait with baited breath for G-Police 3 on Playstation 2 perhaps.
Summary:
|
|
