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Headhunter: Redemption

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    Headhunter: Redemption

    Weee, a sequel to the Dreamcast game nobody but me loved.

    Redemption is slickly presented so far, despite the rather average graphics. Jack Wade looks far cooler this time around; no more ginger beard.

    No bike section (I blame you lot for complaining the first time), but the game seems fine so far. I'm a massive 5 minutes into the game, so I'm allowed to pass judgement.

    Controls don't seem to be as nice as the original, especially movement, and Jack's voice is far too deep...but the targetting is still pretty good.
    Last edited by PeteJ; 26-08-2004, 16:51.

    #2
    I quite liked the bike section in the first one but it just needed to be a little more polished - you should have been able to fly off it instead of just hitting something and stopping dead.

    I liked the first game overall but I've been put off Redemption by some harsh previews, so I'd love some more impressions.

    Go on, add another game to my ever growing `must buy` list

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      #3
      I really liked the 1st game, and the Bike parts. The 1st game could have done with a bit of polish here and there (not least on the bugs).Had some issues with the controls too,but really did enjoy the 1st game (great music score).

      Just waiting for my copy (HH 2) to come back

      Comment


        #4
        Well I've played it some more and it is...ok.

        I'm lazy, so I'm going to make a list.

        The Good:
        The 'Robocop' atmosphere from the first game remains, but it isn't so obvious. You hear adverts for various curazey things etc.

        The characters are likeable. The awfully named Leeza X and the returning Jack Wade make a good combo, though Jack has become far more "bad ass" and arguably more generic by doing so. He swore in one cutscene, which I found most offensive. The characters are well acted too, I feel.

        The story is interesting already, with the Below world adding darkness to the Above world that featured in the original (though there was only one 'world' in the original, and it wasn't called Above). The cutscenes are nicely done, just like they were in the first game.

        Scanning, ala Metroid Prime, is in the game, but it isn't essential. You can scan a barrel and it'll tell you "shoot this to make it explode". Very helpful. So far the scanning has just been for hints than adding to the plot or giving depth to the game world - scan a weird looking piece of machinery and it'll tell you what it is. Hardly great stuff, but it is new in the HH world.

        The Bad:
        The controls are inperfect and movement is far from ideal. Although Up is Up and Left Left, your character still has a slight turning circle. I find that inching myself to the left in order to press a button moves me around the button, so I then need to edge the other way...and repeat, until button is pressed (only to be told it is broken. Hurrah). It's difficult to explain, but basically you can't seem to move as effortlessly as you should be able too.

        The targetting works in a similar way to HH, where you hold down the trigger to raise your gun then press the A button to shoot - nudging the stick selects different targets. Fine so far, but unfortunately your targetting circle moves about when targetting and so you need to time your button presses (unless you wait a few seconds so it stops). Though this may sound fine, it gets a bit silly when your in a gun fight and your trying to not get shot while waiting for your target circle to stop spazing out. The best move from Headhunter, popping out from behind a wall and shooting, is made less effective because of this feature. In general the action has slowed down and become less about reactions - it's less exciting, quite frankly.

        Left trigger pushes you against a wall or makes you duck if you aren't near a wall. If you are ducking while shooting and walk towards a wall, you suddenly get sucked against the wall and end up targetting 90degrees away from where you were pointing before. Nice!

        No bike sections (though Jack is seen on a bike often enough) - this makes the world seem like a series of levels rather than the impressively built city from the original.

        The voice acting from the enemies is dreadful, sounding as if they were sampled on the oldest microphone ever. Maybe this is part of the story?

        ...

        The worst thing about Redemption so far is its feeling of Ho-Hum'ness. The first was pretty refreshing thanks to its unique graphics (bright and clean) and neat action, but this is fairly standard, as if they've not really added anything to set it apart from other games in the genre. I shall continue with it though, because there is something strangely appealing about the Headhunter world and the story could develop into something very nice indeed.

        Comment


          #5
          Personally i was a big fan of the original game - even the bike bits. Excellent graphics, nice looking and realistic enviroments, solid and rewarding gameplay and especially the music score.

          Been playing through the sequel for the last few hours, and to call it a dissapointment is a massive understatement.

          Firstly, the loading times , for an xbox game, are horrendous. I mean really bad, if you die, you can expect a 30-40 second wait to get back into it - the graphics are fairly nice but nothing spectacular, so this comes down to shoddy programming.

          The character models look good but are animated poorly, especially in the cut-scenes. The SFX is out of sync with the actions on screen for a start, which never bodes well. Even the opening FMV skips, raising an initil eyebrow.

          The killer for me though is the level design, it's rubbish. Long , boring corridors are where most the action takes place, and this really irks me, how many places have you ever been too where you go through a thing long, corridor into another one, the into another one, then into another one with a dead end and one door to the left? it's so poor it's unfathomable. Whereas in the original you'd go to run down warehouses, cruise liners e.t.c where everything fit into place nicely and would be what you'd expect from a real-life counterpart. So far (im 20% in) the level design hasn't even raised an eyebrow in the slightest,and i'm forcing myself to carry on.

          The emphasis seems to have moved away from combat to puzzles also, it's the super-generic 'power up bridge' to 'find battery/key/security clearance' i've been frequently stuck at several intervals because you aren;t given any clues whatsoever to where certain items are - currently i just found the room i was looking for, to only use the machien i'd been after only to be told it needs a f****** battery. where the bloody hells that then? cue another 30 minutes of aimlessly running around with no clue or direction (then the game freezes, ironically, just as well to keep the blood pressure down) Gah!!!!

          ok the good bits:

          The guns all pack some great SFX with some good recoil, they feel satisfying to use and are accompanied by some good lighting effects. The music score is brilliant as the first game , scored by the ever dependable Richard Jaques. Some of the dialogue raises a smile, and i'm quite fond of the new aiming system, it encourages a bit of thinking rather than all guns blazing.

          The stealth kills look good, and are much more easily executed than in the first. The biting social commentary remains, though it looks as though the newscasts are gone, replaced with adverts and the ilk.

          I hope the game picks up soon, because at the moment it's well below average. A 3 year wait for this ??? Lets hope it gets better for Mr Wade, as the potential for a killer title is waning.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by PeteJ
            Weee, a sequel to the Dreamcast game nobody but me loved.
            Another big fan of the original here, I played through the game in a single sitting when I received it (on the day of release )

            worrying to hear about the averageness, heres hoping it picks up...

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by PeteJ
              The targetting works in a similar way to HH, where you hold down the trigger to raise your gun then press the A button to shoot - nudging the stick selects different targets. Fine so far, but unfortunately your targetting circle moves about when targetting and so you need to time your button presses (unless you wait a few seconds so it stops). Though this may sound fine, it gets a bit silly when your in a gun fight and your trying to not get shot while waiting for your target circle to stop spazing out. The best move from Headhunter, popping out from behind a wall and shooting, is made less effective because of this feature. In general the action has slowed down and become less about reactions - it's less exciting, quite frankly.
              Actually, I really liked this - it means you have to think about attacking and time your shots, rather than just running in and blasting everything like a bull in a china shop. Surely it's similar to how things would really be? After all, say you're using the shotgun... you can get one clean shot, but then the recoil will **** up the next one until you can regain your composure. Machine guns, when fired rapidly, cause your aim to be thrown off, rocket launchers need to be constantly re-aimed... it works. And the looking round walls thing does work with it - you peek round the wall and acquire your target (without actually pointing your gun), let the aim settle and THEN step out and fire. Like I said, I really liked this element - especially since one of our solutions guys was just trying to play it like a 'run and gun' title and kept getting shot to hell. Ha.

              And as for the extra item exploration, Pliskin, I've got to ask... in the majority of the cases where you need one item to activate another, it's in the immediate area. So why did it take you half an hour to find it? I dunno... maybe it's just me.

              Still, I think you're all being incredibly hard on the game. I liked it a lot... but then, that's just one man's opinion.

              Comment


                #8
                Well i can happily report the game does pick up after the 3rd level.

                My main problem with the game is too often you seem to get stuck with nowhere to go. The iris scanner is the main problem - you have to be so , so precise - i mean, on the exact pixel for it to start flashing. For example, on the part where you have to blow 3 generators , theres a hanging crate which looks obviously like something's supposed to happen with it. scan the whole thing from top to bottom, not blinker. stand back, do it some more. nada. run round 20 minutes looking for another way up, return, scan thing again and - ah! it picks something up it's a pity it doesn't auto aim a little to give you a hand, because some of the things you have to scan are so remote.

                mart, i finally found the battery - in the same room >( , but it's not particularly obvious , is it? it's only after getting frustrated i shot the glass out, then it tells me i can hop through the broken window to the other side, where the battery is.. i mean come on, if your gonna put the essential item 10 feet away why not just put it in the machine to start with. grrr, logic.

                Nevermind.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Anyone had problems with the Xbox version of the came crashing on them?

                  I got the Xbox version yesterday, and it crashed on me while I was playing the first level. The game froze up, buttons wouldnt respond, though the background sound-effects kept playing. This wasnt during any loading period either, was just running around one of the outside sectons and suddenly it froze!
                  Happened twice, both times in the first level, but at slightly different locations on the level.

                  So I took it back and got the PS2 version - which has been fine so far.
                  Shame really as the Xbox version looks a bit neater and runs a bit better - but I wasnt prepared to put up with random game crashes.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    I agree with martTM. I enjoy the game alot and find the targeting system quite unique and more rewarding than in most third person action games I've played. I find myself getting better at combat all the time, the gameplay is certainly deeper than the first game. Here are a couple of tips that might be useful:

                    - Don't just mash away at the trigger when shooting or the recoil will make you loose your aim. After a while, you will learn a rythm for your weapom, like bam-----bam---bam-bam-bam. This is particularly important for the sub-machine gun.

                    - Crouching will make you acquire perfect accuracy quicker. Beware however that sitting still will make it easier for the enemies to hit you, so mix in a few evade moves. Moving around while fighting out in the open is very important.

                    - Use the right stick when you're in target mode to switch target to the left and right, even to off-screen enemies. You can also hold left or right to rotate the character which is very useful. When you're not in target mode, the right stick controls the camera.

                    - Head shots. It's possible to get headshots from behind for an instant kill. While in target mode, use the right stick to move the aim up. Head shots are not possible from the front since the masks protect them or something.

                    - Always peek around a corner to acquire a good accuracy before turning out from the wall. The right stick works while you're peeking so you can safely adjust the aim to a headshot before turning around.

                    - Always try to take out a few big enemies quickly, by using stealth, headshots or simply by getting the first few shots in the back. The number of enemies in some scenarios are pretty high and if you're not careful as to how you enter a fight, you can find yourself in big trouble.

                    - The solutions to puzzles are usually placed in the immediate area. I can't think of any puzzle where you just reach a dead-end and have to backtrack a long way to get what you need.

                    Pfeww... I hope this rant can help out a little.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Plisken
                      mart, i finally found the battery - in the same room >( , but it's not particularly obvious , is it? it's only after getting frustrated i shot the glass out, then it tells me i can hop through the broken window to the other side, where the battery is.. i mean come on, if your gonna put the essential item 10 feet away why not just put it in the machine to start with. grrr, logic.
                      I loved that - if only because I felt really clever when I realised what could be done. Getting to the door of the room requires you to run past a whole row of those windows, meaning the guards see you... and then shoot out all the glass. Once I'd dealt with the guards, it didn't take long to work out that I could do the same with the windows on the opposite side too... genius. Obvious, but genius nonetheless.

                      You wait until some of the later puzzles... if you get stuck on something like that, I doubt you'll have much hair left by the end of the game.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Haha tell me about it. I've been stuck about 10 times so far, and i'm only 30% in. I'll try not to spoil but after a particular sub boss, after taking an item i thought i needed, i was stuck in that room for about 20 minutes.



                        Enjoying the game a damn sight more than earlier mind. The level design has really picked up the slack , and some of the guns are bloody great - the 'blow out' pistol in particular's ace, the spurting blood effect when it goes off is so satisfying

                        Also a note to the melee combat, i didnt realise this at first but if you get in close and try to shoot, you roundhouse them in the face. Nicely done!!

                        Now all i need is to start playing as Jack again- thougth he'd show up more than previously , but hey.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          I have to agree that the game does improve, and the initial feeling of average'ness doesn't last.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            See? I love being right, me.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Shurrup you.

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