First details and impressions for Urban Chaos: Riot Response on Xbox.
Some games just seem like they were born out of inspiration at a restaurant on a cocktail napkin. It is possible that Urban Chaos: Riot Response has a core experience that was carefully developed over time, but the brutal immersion of playing first-person in a city under siege sure seems like a "dude, I have this awesome idea" inspiration.
The Premise You play as a member of the newly minted T-Zero (tolerance-zero) squad, ready, as the game notes, to take back the city "by any means necessary." While the job may be simply stated, the execution of the mission is brutal, visceral, and constantly engaging. Some games just never let up, never let you catch your breath or take a moment to reflect. To put it simply, they are relentless. This is one of those games.
Peaceful demonstrator? Probably not.
From the Get Go Urban Chaos differentiates itself from the norm quickly by utilizing a rare presentation technique: live action cinematics. Using both restraint and intelligence, Urban Chaos focuses the live action solely on intense news broadcasts that feel both legitimate and frantic. Instead of breaking the immersion of the game, these live action sequences feel very much like something you might see on a genuine national news broadcast from a warzone. It sets the tone for the gritty urban combat that follows.
If it's intensity you crave, Urban Chaos is your next guilty pleasure.
Spring-boarding from the tension of the newscast, you're thrust into a ravaged police station that has been seized by the violent and deranged "Burners" and told take control. The immediacy and intensity of the game is apparent from the first moment. Your world around is shattered, hectic, and confused. Your situation is desperate, and everything around you reflects that.
Do you think that barrel explodes?
Play Time Great gameplay allows a developer to throw you in the deep end and know that you'll come out fighting, and the first mission in Urban Chaos does exactly that. You're immediately swarmed by enemies, but quick intuitive dual analog control makes dispatching the immediate threat natural and satisfying. From there, it's a question of mastering the design basics and an easy-to-understand control setup. For example:
Weapons are assigned to the X, Y, and B buttons, allowing for a quick and accurate swap to the tool you require, without cycling. Urban Chaos takes its own brand of gritty violence seriously too, so you won't be limited to the standard guns and grenades. Pick up all manner of dastardly equipment (the cleaver comes to mind) throughout your missions.
While you might be the star of the show, Urban Chaos emphasizes teamwork, and the abilities of your comrades (squad members, firemen, police officers, paramedics) come into use constantly. Give orders with a simple tap of the D-pad (like "break down that door"), but perhaps most importantly, don't worry about combat squad tactics. Your comrades exist almost exclusively to help solve your problems, not kill enemies with plodding A.I. This keeps the game moving at an accelerated, tension filled pace.
Complete on the fly objectives to unlock additional content. Arrest (as in, don't kill) five gang members in the first level to open up more options. You can do this by approaching gang members and subduing them with the push of a button. Or you can taser them.
Trigger slow-mo sequences with any particularly badass act of carnage and highlight the excellent physics engine. From a more practical end of things, use these physics to your advantage in forming strategies and in solving puzzles.
Urban Chaos: Riot Response offers no-holds-barred action with a new theme, excellent presentation, and a penchant for grabbing you and not letting go. It's fast and easy to pick up, but offers plenty of challenge, as well as on the fly puzzles that require a cool head under fire. If it's intensity you crave, Urban Chaos should be your next guilty pleasure.
