pearl-drum-man's Full Review: Run Like Hell for PlayStation 2
INTRO
As a fan of survival/horror and action/adventure games I’m always looking for the next challenge. Run Like Hell has been on my radar for some time, and was really looking forward to it, despite the delays. I was hoping that the extra time was being spent perfecting what would be a top-flight title, worthy of mention with recent PS2 releases. Unfortunately, it appears that was not the case.
STORYLINE
You take the role of crusty military man Nick Conner, with a square jaw line and a chiseled physique, you at least look the part of bad mofo alien killer. It’s determined early on through cut scenes, that the bikini-clad babe in your dream is not only your fiancee, but she is also Dr. Samantha Reilly, researcher on the Forseti space station.
After numerous minor interactions with other inhabitants (both human and friendly alien), you’ll take part in various tasks which will allow you to become familiar with the controls, Nicks movements, and his rifle skills. Upon completion of these early items, your partner beckons you to assist her in a routine astroid exploration mission. Upon your return to the space station, things are different, and that’s bad. You (or I should say your colleague) has the first interaction with the alien infestation that has overcome your station, and its time to Run Like Hell...
CONTROL/GAMEPLAY (5)
The game is setup as your standard third person, run and gun action game. The left stick controls Conner’s movements. The camera generally floats behind Conner’s head, though it does become fixed from time to time. Speaking of the camera, the L2 and R2 buttons will adjust its position. Standing still the R2 button will spin the camera 360 degrees counter-clockwise, the L2 will do the same, though clockwise. When running, you can use these buttons to help improve your view around corners or in blind spots upon entering a room. I found the operation to be awkward, and never really did get comfortable with it. Often, it was difficult to try to navigate the camera while also trying to find and shoot unseen enemies. It also seemed like I frequently hit the wrong button, spinning the camera the wrong way, I just couldn’t get it second nature. Fortunately thanks to the auto-aim feature (the R1 button), you automatically lock onto the nearest enemy, which means you can deal damage to those off camera. To fire you simply use the “X” button. For those close encounters, if you push the triangle button while holding R1, Conner can kick/push enemies away from him, saving you from receiving damage. The Start button features your game options menu (save, sound, video, control selector, etc). Three control sets are available, so check them out if the stock setup doesn’t work for you. Pushing Select takes you to your items inventory, journal, and automap. Much like Resident Evil, you can view, use, modify and combine items.
RLH really offers nothing fresh from a gameplay standpoint. You are basically entering areas and having to mow down hordes of Alien enemies which simply appear out of thin air. After you’re done, you’ll have to activate switches, solve puzzles, or find codes to open locked areas. The battle sequences are generally straight forward and mundane, just auto-aim and button mash. Things get difficult when you end up in close quarters with multiple enemies, especially when you can only target one at a time, the others will be aggressively attacking. There is also a nice assortment of weapons as you progress through the game. Your initial rifle can be upgraded, and it has unlimited ammo. Most of the other more power weapons (Shotgun, Assault Rifle, Pulse Rifle, etc) deal far more damage, however ammo is in short supply, so save ‘em for those special encounters!
The puzzles are quite easy, but can be frustrating from a repetition standpoint. For example, one requires you to open four different doors (which lead to small rooms). The doors can only be opened by using various combinations from four computers in a control both. It basically comes down to trial and error, and then running back and forth as each door is opened to get necessary items/info. You will also encounter locked doors, which require codes to be entered to open them. The codes will be 4-5 characters long, using the X, O, triangle, and square buttons. Of course you rarely get an entire code, you frequently need to check computers (or anything else marked with a big yellow exclamation point) an you’ll get code fragments, like this: ..,..,X,..,O. So you have 2 of the five characters needed, just find and plug in the others and you get to progress to the next monotonous battle. I was really annoyed by having to actually write down code fragments, and then check my notes upon approaching the locked door and decipher my scrawls into something useful. These things make up the meat of the gameplay, with only slight variance.
GRAPHICS (5)
The PS2 has recently cranked out some really nice looking games. I hoped this would be one of them, unfortunately it looks more like a launch title than anything current. The main characters look decent in detail, however they have a distinct angular modeling which does nothing to invoke a realistic setting. I don’t know how cold it is inside that space station, but natures thermometers are in plain view throughout! The Aliens aren’t nearly as detailed, same goes for the other non-primary characters. The halls of the space station are mostly dimly lit, and the shadow effects are mediocre at best. Along with the dim lighting, the colors are mostly dull, tending toward green, gray, and black. The backgrounds are also very average, though some rooms/areas look better than others. Aliasing is noticeable throughout the levels, but never really creates a distraction during gameplay. The game also suffers from slow down in a few spots, which can be an annoyance, especially in boss fights. The game definitely could have used more cook time, as it comes across as unfinished.
SOUND (5)
The sound effects generally follow the same under achieving precedent set by the visuals, with the exception of the voice-overs. At first I thought Conner’s deadpan manner of speech sounded like a cross between Max Payne and Clint Eastwood. It wasn’t till afterwards I realized it was none other than Lance Henrikson (Pumpkinhead, Aliens) breathing life into the acting. A few other recognized actors also take part, like: Kate Mulgrew, Micheal Ironside, and Clancy Brown. The game does run in Dolby Surround Pro Logic II, though I don’t think it’ll help much. Aside from the strong voice-overs, all other sound effects are relatively stock and repetitive in nature, especially the footsteps and gunfire.
REPLAY (0)
I hardly recommend playing through once, let alone replaying it.
OVERALL (5)
About as flat, mediocre, and average as a game can be. Underachieves throughout, only the strong voice-acting is a pleasant surprise, yet it’s hardly enough to recommend buying this (especially at $50). For those looking for some mind numbing, shoot ‘em up style action this might be an adequate rental, for a couple days at least. Hey, at least the name is cool!
Suspense and thrills abound in this nonstop sci-fi adventure where staying alive is the goal and dangers lurk around every dark corner Face off agains...More at Amazon Marketplace
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