Shooter

Blending ground-based shooting with outer space combat, Bounty Hunter is a sci-fi adventure starring an ex-soldier named Mace Griffin. After being framed and imprisoned for the murder of his brothers-in-arms, Griffin returns to society as a bounty hunter who has vowed to track down those responsible. As he explores the far reaches of space searching for information, Griffin will make contact with an assortment of human and alien characters, both friend and foe.

Bounty Hunter's hybrid gameplay offers a series of 13 missions to further the story as well as add to the main character's notoriety and personal wealth. Cash received from successful missions can be used to upgrade firearms and ship weapons at specific shops. While the majority of action is played from a first-person viewpoint on the ground, the act of traveling to and from destinations is accomplished via spaceship. Hostile encounters with creatures in space may also affect relations with that particular race on the surface.

As the main character gains renown across the galaxy, players will be able to unravel more of the story and embark on specific missions designed to further the main plot. To help immerse players into the game, U.K. developer Warthog designed a special engine (TUSK) that allows for complete movement in and out of the spaceship without the use of cut-scenes or transition sequences. In-game environments include space stations, battle cruisers, and various planetary surfaces as players move one step closer to solving the conspiracy. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Over four years in the making, the highly anticipated Max Payne adds a new aspect of stylistic storytelling to the action-based 3D shooter. The game was developed solely as a single-player adventure and the designers at Finland's Remedy Entertainment focused on creating an experience that would make players care at least as much about the main character as they would about finish times or frag counts. Tried and true devices of pulp fiction and film noir are employed in this computer game, drawing the player into the dark story through gripping motivations of revenge and self-preservation.

Technically, Max Payne offers its own brand of state-of-the-art graphics and sound. Detailed, high-resolution environments are deformable, as walls become riddled with bullet holes of various sizes and shreds of paper, plastic, plaster, and tile fall to the ground, each in their own distinctly realistic manners. Admittedly inspired by the cinematic works of John Woo and Sam Peckinpah, the game applies stylistic techniques borrowed from action films as well, not only to add to the mood of the story but also to enhance gameplay. The title's signature "bullet time" gunfights can be played out in slow motion to provide a familiar dramatic effect and also to allow the player a chance to better situate himself and pick out prime targets in the chaos of flying lead.

While the storyline still determines the events that need to happen in each mission and level, the Max Payne is designed to allow the player to decide exactly how goals are accomplished. While the game must adhere to the linear nature of a plot-driven experience, it strives to also allow an engaging sense of freedom and control through expansive level design. Large, seamless areas are intended to offer the player a sense of new space to conquer as he sees fit, whether methodically sneaking about to avoid detection or running quickly and violently through a swarm of enemies with both guns blazing. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin picks up where the original PC adventure left off, with Agent 47 having grown accustomed to the somewhat peaceful existence he now endures at a Sicilian monastery. This idyllic lifestyle is cut abruptly short when a priest is kidnapped by a group of rather unsavory characters. Players, as Agent 47, must once again take up arms and hunt down those responsible for this heinous act. Things, as tends to be the case, aren't quite as simple as they first appear, however, and players will find themselves traveling the globe as they participate in 20 objective-based missions. As the title implies, the gameplay in this third-person actioner revolves around the methodical and quiet removal of whoever happens to be your current target. Missions are preceded by briefings from an Agency contact. These outline the objectives you must complete, while highlighting the level and type of resistance you're likely to encounter along the way.

How you go about completing the tasks laid out before you, is left to the player. Excessive force can be used, silently killing any resistance you encounter, or more subversive tactics, such as disguising yourself as an inconspicuous delivery boy or fireman will allow you to move about the environments relatively unhindered. When disguised, however, suspicious behavior (indicated by an onscreen suspicion meter), such as carrying a firearm while in disguise or running, can blow your cover and see you beset by numerous bodyguards, police or whomever the opposition happens to be at that time. Those wishing to embark on a mission with a small cache of weapons can do just that; weapons accrued during each mission persist throughout the game and can be equipped prior to the commencement of any particular mission. Players can arm themselves with pistols, shotguns, automatic weapons, rifles as well as melee weapons, such as a knife or fiber wire for particularly stealthy kills. Gadgets such as night-vision goggles and remote bombs can also be used in limited quantities.

Agent 47 is capable of performing a number of maneuvers, including picking locks and dragging bodies out of plain sight. A simple button press will allow Agent 47 to sneak, quietly but very slowly through areas, while a first-person mode allows for more precise aiming when the situation calls for it. Also, to ensure that players are aware of their surroundings at all times, the camera can be manipulated with the right-analog stick. At the conclusion of each mission players are awarded a rating affected by various factors, including innocents killed, alarms triggered, kills achieved, and so forth. ~ Gavin Frankle, All Game Guide

Belgian author Jeanne Van Hamme's graphic novel XIII comes to life on next-generation platforms as a first-person shooter featuring cel-shaded graphics and an engine based on Epic Games' award-winning Unreal technology. Playing the role of an ex-secret agent who has lost his memory, players must piece together the clues to his dark past before it's too late. The game follows a similar format to the graphic novel from which it is based, as much of the story is told through a series of flashbacks. Four-player support is available via split screen. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Similar to the popular and prolific Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six series, Ghost Recon delivers more squad-based tactics and first-person action. Who said the Cold War is over? Old school nationalists have taken power in Russia and they have plans to reclaim the whole Eastern Bloc. Confusion sets in and conflict ensues as Russia moves to take Eastern European territories against NATO resistance. Players lead the elite Ghost squad of operatives to perform sophisticated and dangerous missions behind enemy lines. The game features 20 different 400m by 400m areas and a number of multiplayer modes. ~ All Game Guide

Sony's Syphon Filter series of counter-terrorist action games continues on PlayStation 2 with an outbreak of the Omega Strain. Instead of guiding Gabe Logan, the star of the previous two titles, players create their own agent from scratch in order to stop a new strain of the original's deadly virus from seeping its way across the globe. Nearly every facet of characters can be customized, from their physical appearance to the uniform and equipment used to carry out the various objectives required of them. A total of 17 free-roaming levels are set in locales ranging from Toronto and Belarus to Brazil and Uganda, each offering multiple ways to complete missions and spanning more than three times the size of previous levels in the Syphon Filter universe.

More than 100 different weapons and gadgets are available to neutralize the terrorist threat, including the ability to fire two pistols at once, though only four can be carried at one time. New equipment becomes accessible as players earn experience during the game, with a military ranking assigned to characters allowing them to acquire additional techniques or proficiency in various skills. As in previous games, the action takes place from a third-person perspective set behind the agent, allowing players to crouch, kneel, run, throw, and jump -- all while targets are locked into sight. New to the series is the ability to isolate specific body parts, such as a leg or arm, to quickly immobilize threats without necessarily killing them.

Syphon Filter: Omega Strain also features online multiplayer support for the first time. Up to four players can embark on missions cooperatively in each of the game's 17 solo missions, which contain exclusive new areas for multiplayer action in the form of special time-based scenarios. The game additionally supports USB-compatible headsets to communicate with other agents, offering squad-based strategy options during the game as well as simplifying the process of issuing commands. To help players navigate the different 3D environments, situational updates will occur during the course of a mission and a transparent map is designed to show the whereabouts of each member in the squad. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

As a follow-up to Half-Life: Counter-Strike, one of the most successful PC titles of 2000, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero takes the game to a new level. Both a single- and multiplayer game, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero puts a special counter-terrorist operative under your command and you must neutralize any threat that comes along. Rescue hostages, escort VIPs to safety, disarm bombs, travel through hostile environments, and more.

Still tied to its Half-Life parent, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero is the most modified and enhanced version of the game engine yet, featuring more detailed player models, new skin and customization options, and atmospheric effects. Each map is available to many different play modes: players can complete missions with a friend in co-op mode, play on the Internet in multiplayer mode, or practice in skirmish mode. ~ Jeremy Lee, All Game Guide

Resume the role of cold contract killer Agent 47 and arm yourself for new missions of meticulous planning and expert execution. Following the breakthrough success of the PC original Codename 47 and the mainstream popularity of its cross-platform sequel Silent Assassin, this third title in the Hitman series is designed to refine the stealth-action control scheme and revamp the graphical presentation, while maintaining the tradition of dark, morally ambivalent storytelling that has shown the efficient, mysterious protagonist to be much more than a mindless trigger-jockey.

As in the earlier games, a large part of the Hitman's work is in gaining the needed understanding about his target and surroundings. While a job may be finished with a single, split-second shot, a great deal of preparation often must come first. Proper surveillance can be invaluable, as understanding the movements and routines of each target means understanding the opportunities and risks of each job. Players will choose from an assortment of possible weapons, each appropriate for different situations. This third tale begins in Paris, where Agent 47 finds himself alone, trapped, and wounded. As usual, steel-nerved skill may be all that saves the silent assassin from his own swift execution. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Inspired by the courage demonstrated and devastation sustained in the warfare of the 20th century, Killzone makes its debut as a PS2 exclusive, bringing with it an assortment of features. The game offers four playable characters and 27 different weapons. Players will engage the enemy in more than 11 detailed environments, designed to showcase the grueling settings of a war-ridden planet. There are several gameplay modes to chose from, including single-player and multiplayer (team-based and competitive), as well as online play for up to 12 players.

Killzone immerses players in a future of space colonization that has resulted in several planets becoming inhabited by humans. While most of the colonies united to form the ISA, a ruthless, militaristic faction known as the Helghast has secretly separated itself, and is preparing to wage all-out war. On a nearby colony known as Vecta, the city's orbital defense mysteriously goes offline, allowing the Helghast to land and deploy their troops. As a member of an elite ISA military force, the player's objective is to escort a high-ranking official to an evacuation point while avoiding an intelligent computer-controlled enemy, able to calculate threats, maintain military direction, and execute self-preservation tactics. ~ Damian Francis, All Game Guide

Adventuresome gamers aim to eliminate a maniacal dictator -- for the good of humanity, as well as significant monetary compensation from the highest bidder. As its title suggests, Mercenaries puts players in the roles of soldiers for hire, who find ample opportunities for employment as an unexpected menace leads the nations of the world to the brink of disaster. In a quick and bloody coup, the prime minister of North Korea has been displaced by a power-hungry general called Sung, who now threatens the world with nuclear attack. In the role of an American, British, or Swedish soldier of fortune, players choose their patron and price, and then go to work at eliminating the 52 most wanted perpetrators of the new North Korean regime. Each target is assigned a different playing card, for easy reference.

Naturally, the threat of nuclear attack draws considerable international interest, and players may choose employment by such diverse entities as the United Nations, the U.S. Coalition, China, or the Russian Mafia, as they work to collect the 52 bounties which will complete the deck. While the employer may set the basic mission objectives, mercenaries decide for themselves how to get the job done once they're on location. The game features over 30 weapons and more than 20 different vehicles, including cars and trucks, planes, helicopters, and tanks, allowing players to reach their goals using the tactics and equipment of their choosing. Mercenaries' storyline features multiple possible endings, and the game's conclusion will depend on moral decisions made by the player's character throughout the various missions.

With the phenomenal success of Rockstar's 128-bit generation Grand Theft Auto games, the notion of "emergent gameplay" created a buzz among some game developers and journalists. The general idea is to present an open-ended world that reacts naturally and appropriately, no matter what players try to do or when they try to do it. The gameplay "emerges" from the game world itself. This style is prominent in contemporary games such as Jak II and Beyond Good & Evil, and according to the publisher, it's fundamental in the design of Mercenaries as well. Player characters are set loose in large "sandbox" levels, where they must choose how they'll accomplish goals in terms of the game world's overall dynamic, instead of by following a scripted series of events. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide

Players take the role of a mob enforcer in this value-minded 3D shooter adventure. Throughout the game's eight missions, the protagonist must silence witnesses, sabotage the operations of rival gangs, and perhaps even break a few bones -- to send the right message to the right boss. Missions are set in fitting locations such as deserted loading docks, a busy casino, and an Italian restaurant. ~ All Game Guide

Loosely based on the feature film sequel Bad Boys II, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, Bad Boys: Miami Takedown is an uncomplicated third-person shooter that puts players in control of Detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, who are out to shut down drug cartels in Miami. Bad guys are found in warehouses, back alleys, and other urban, Florida locations. A "cover" feature allows characters to duck behind certain objects for protection in a gun fight, and then lean around the corner for fire back from a position or relative safety. Bad Boys: Miami Takedown follows its own storyline based on the movie characters, but doesn't not feature the voices of Smith or Lawrence. Developed at the U.K.'s Blitz Studios, the game was previously released in Europe as Bad Boys II, concurrently with the film's theatrical debut. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide