Chicago Enforcer  Review for Xbox

Friday, December 24, 2004

Game Info

News

Review

Preview

Videos

Screenshots

Cheats

Title: Chicago Enforcer .............................................. System: Xbox .............................................. Genre: .............................................. Publisher: Kemco Games .............................................. Developer: Touchdown Entertainment .............................................. Release: December 2004 .............................................. Online: Yes .............................................. ESRB: Mature .............................................. You're going to need a quick trigger finger if you want to become Al Capone's right hand man. All that separates you from this coveted position are hundreds of heat-packing gangsters, crooked cops, and the Chicago streets of the 1920s. Set during the historical Prohibition period, Chicago Enforcer challenges you to seize the day and rise to glory among the gangs. Gameplay The first thing you'll notice about Chicago Enforcer is that the controls are different from any other FPS for the Xbox. If you play a lot of shooters, you may find the control system difficult to get the hang of. In time, you will get used to most of it, but I found myself stumbling through my selectable weapons for most of the game. The default look sensitivity is way too much, and I had to turn it all the way down to make the game playable. Once you get over the hurdles created by the klunky control system, the game is amazingly fun. You carry out your jobs for the bossman through objective-oriented missions that will have you destroying rival liquor operations, trashing storefronts, and laying the smack down on anyone stupid enough to get in your way. Weapons include everything from a lead pipe to the fabled Tommy Gun to a rocket launcher. Even though it might be a stretch that a Chinese-made rocket launcher found its way to Chicago in the 1920s, all of the weapons are at least appropriate for the period, which caters to the overall historical feel of the game. There are boxes and dumpsters and various other objects stashed throughout the levels that you can blow up in search of health, ammo, armor, and cash. Collect enough cash, and you'll be able to unlock three new weapons. Finding the cash is what will drive you to explore parts of the levels that you would otherwise pass up, and is a pretty neat system for unlocking the new artillery. Storyline Each mission begins with a phone call about your instructions for that mission. You'll topple two rival gangs across 10 multi-part missions. The story does a fantastic job of putting you in the period, but it's very short. Like a lot of shooters, you'll most likely blast through the campaign in between 6-10 hours and go looking for ways to squeeze some replay value out of it. The transitions between levels are a little lacking; you're here and then somewhere else doing something entirely different. But, hey, that's just a day in the life of Al Capone's go-to guy. Graphics If the game has a drawback apart from the controls, it's here. The environments are bland, and everything begins to look the same after awhile. Rival gangsters come in about three different models, and cops are hard to tell apart from civilians until they start shooting at you. The levels seem sort of linear, and lack a lot of the freedom of exploration that shooter fans have become accustomed to. Particle effects are the redeeming quality of the engine, and do a lot to drive up the entertainment value of the game. Whack someone with a lead pipe and watch the blood splatter not only on the ground, but also on the pipe and your hand. Use the pipe for a while, and when you switch weapons, your hand will still be drenched in blood. Explosions are also very well done, but apart from these and the blood effects, don't look for a whole lot of eye-catching detail. Sound Tommy guns chatter, windows break and cops yell, "Freeze!" The sound is about what you'd expect it to be, and there's not much more to say about it. It rounds out the environment without detracting from the gameplay, but it doesn't add anything to it, either. Overall Kemco is launching Chicago Enforcer in the $19-$29 range, and for the money, it's a great title. The single player campaign is fun once or maybe even twice, and the multiplayer allows for up to 8 people competing in Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture the Flag modes. It's also Live enabled. All things considered, it's got a pretty engaging story line, enough features to keep you playing for awhile, and enough fun to drive up the replay value. If you're looking for a new shooter to spend some time with, for $29 you can't go wrong with Chicago Enforcer.   The Core Score Overall 8 Fun 9 Gameplay 9 Graphics 6 Audio 5 Replay 7   How we score games