by:	April 10, 2004

State of Emergency has a very simple premise that really has nothing to do with the actual game. It is 2035, and "The Corporation" rules the government. You, along with many colleagues, must try to destroy The Corporation and take back the government, which should belong to the people. That is basically where the game's story ends and complete chaos ensues and craps all over the game - but that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The game's control scheme and objectives are fairly simple to follow. You press B to pick up a weapon, X to hit people with a weapon or kick, A to use your weapon or punch, and the left trigger is used to dash. Pretty simple, eh? When in combat, you can fire easily - all you have to do is point the analog stick in the direction of the enemy and you should hit someone. Weapons for you to pick up litter the ground everywhere, meaning that each weapon's limited ammo isn't really a problem. You'll find Moltov Cocktails, Shotguns, AK-47s, Uzis, handguns, bats, swords, etc.

The environments in the game are hectic, with people running every which way looting or running from the police, so this simple control scheme helps in the thick of things. Before I go on, you must know something important about State of Emergency. It is the goriest, most senselessly violent game on the Xbox. At one point, I shot off someone's head, dropped my gun, picked up his or her head, and beat a guy senseless. You'll find yourself in a mall with a Uzi, and what do you do? Fire on the innocent crowd, of course! Killing a few dozen people at a time, blood showers smack the walls everywhere. If you really enjoy violent games (you own a Xbox, damn it, so you have to!), then you will feel a strange high overcome your body when committing these sick acts of slaughter. When you hear the crowd roar with screams, you can't help but crack a smile, because for some sick, disgusting reason it is human nature to dwell on others' pain, and State of Emergency pulls this off perfectly.

There are quite a few negative elements to the gameplay. The game is very easy to play - at times, a little to easy. This is great for allowing anyone at all to get into the game, and if you're a first time Xbox buyer, it is perfect. However, those of us who have beaten Splinter Cell, Halo, Mech Assault, and Max Payne want more of a challenge after a while. Also, there are times when the police and secret agents will bum rush you, making it very hard to pull away, and the somewhat shaky camera can make it hard to get a grip on what's going on. Overall, there are just times when it becomes a bit repetitive or annoying (depending on the mode). Sure it was released on the PlayStation nearly a year and half-ago, and sure the PS2 version received so-so reviews, but the Xbox version of the game gets rid of some of the quirks of the PS2 version. The graphics are slightly sharper, you get a better frame rate, up to four can play, and best of all, it comes with a measly price of $20.

There are four areas to go to in SOE, all of them very vast, with plenty of cars and people to destroy. There are modes were you play through the story, but that is pretty boring, and its only real use is to unlock other characters. The best modes in the game are multi-player (team-based and individual) and Kaos, where all you do is rack up points by killing, smashing, and destroying everything in your path.

Graphics
In case you were living under a rock for the past year and a half, State Of Emergency was originally a PlayStation 2 game trying to feed off the success of Grand Theft Auto 3, so it was somewhat rushed out the door. Most of the characters in the crowds are dully colored and made out of disjointed polygons, and many of them look the same. This is excusable, though, especially because if you had too much detail in a game this hectic, your eyes would probably cross. The backgrounds and cars are designed well, but they also lack any real detail. The weapons all have a lot of cool effects (like the flamethrower flames), and the blood spilling all over the place is very good. The graphics weren't brought up to speed for the Xbox, and with the big time gap in between the game's initial PS2 release and the Xbox release, you would think some time would have been put into it.

Sound
Like the graphics, there isn't much to say about the sound. There are custom soundtracks, which are a great addition, but a lack of Dolby Digital 5.1 support brings it down. Also, the custom soundtrack music seems to be muffled behind the rest of the sound in the game, even if you turn it up. The sound effects are all pretty much the same screams and taunts, but the roar of the guns and the variety of gun sounds are pretty good. Overall, though, it's nothing special.

-John Olin

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At $20, this simple, extremely violent game is perfect for new Xbox owners or those looking for a quick gaming fix that they can enjoy with three friends.

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