24 The Game – PS2 review

By now you've no doubt got yourself hooked on the fifth series of the popular television show 24, so can the game make it interactive?

18 March 2006 0:58 GMT / By Stuart Miles

By now you've no doubt got yourself hooked on the fifth series of the popular television show 24.

00:01 The game loads. Set between seasons two and three, 24 The Game is yet another bad day for our hard-as-nails CTU agent.

00:04 The story, with scripting and voices from the lead cast members, gets going. It's the usual assassination attempt, this time the vice-president visiting LA with more side- and sub-plots than you can possibly imagine.

00:12 The clock is ticking fast and the game, fast pace and constant reminder that you've got to keep moving is forever present. The game developers feel that the best way to do this is to put timers on certain parts of the game. While this gives you the same feeling of the old platform games where you are being chased by a boulder, it does mean that you barely bother to pay any real attention to the threats coming your way.

00:16 Time flies in 24 The Game just like the missions. A heads-up display with directional arrow and map means that apart from looking up to blast a bad guy you can pretty much play the game using this alone.

00:23 While the graphics are good (well for the PS2 anyway) it's the voices of the characters from the series that make the difference here everyone from the actor who plays Tony Almeida to Kiefer Sutherland himself, however get past that and the AI of the bad guys is shockingly awful.

00:32 You might be rushing the levels, but that's because you've got over 100 to complete. Shame that some of them amount to simple puzzles like defusing bombs.

00:45 Luckily it's almost over and that's what you'll be hoping as you bludgeon you way through yet another firefight. With little skill required in aiming, it is automatic, and health packs aplenty all around, you've got to be a big fan of the series to enjoy this one.

Verdict

00:50 Into the last 10 minutes, tick, tock, tick, tock. Take away the innovative story telling and the nice touches from the series like the dual screens where different action is happening at the same time and the game would struggle to survive.

00:59:57 Almost over, the end credits are coming.

00:59:58 Good storyline and cutscenes, shame that the show scripting boys and girls couldn't do the same once you're in-game.

00:59:59 Unless you are a die hard fan of the TV show, there are better things to waste 24 hours of your life on.