Latest Media	More Media (5)

Information Updated: 1/24/2006

Shortly after Grand Theft Auto 3 earned its first million sales, Rockstar decided to keep the mayhem going while they worked on a sequel. The filler, State of Emergency, was a big selling, but an even bigger disappointment. The premise was simple, go through various areas and cause as much death and destruction as possible. Now while that sounds like a winning formula, especially in today's society, the game play was shallow and repetitive, and no matter how much violence is in a game, you still need substance to balance out the mindless frivolity. Later an Xbox version of the same title was released which added a multiplayer mode, but not much else, and just like the original, it failed as well in the minds of gamers and critics alike.

Well gamers, like it or not, someone decided that a sequel just needed to be made, and honestly with all the violent games released lately like 25 to Life, 50 Cent, and 187 Ride or Die, that is just what we need... more terribly rushed and lame titles that only appeal to the bloodthirsty and ignorant. Now don't get me wrong, I like violence and mayhem as much as the next guy, heck my avatar is Michael Myers, but let's at least attach it to solid, well thought out games like God of War or Half Life 2!

On to State of Emergency 2 - which to be fair isn't as brainless as the earlier mentioned titles, and more than outperforms its predecessor, but a good game, well I wouldn't go that far. I'll save any major criticisms for the final release and review. For now, I will just mention what you can look forward to in SOE 2 and you can make your own decision whether or not to be there launch day. What I can say positively is that DC Studios has made the game that the first one should have been.

There is a greater and more in-depth story this time around which will take you through 12 missions that include vehicular and aerial combat, gang control, character switching, and lots of blood soaked mayhem and destruction. SOE 2 is a slight upgrade visually, but still manages to only give higher poly counts to the main characters while the enemies and pedestrians look rather bland. This does allow for dozens of on screen characters at once with no slow down. The 12 missions are scattered throughout some made-for-demolishing areas such as prisons, Worker Docks and everyone's favorite, the Ghetto (enter Too Short chorus here). There are also some multiplayer modes that take place in these same environments. All the essentials are here; Deathmatch, Last Man Standing, Flag Attack, Team Deathmatch, and Open Battle for the first to so many kills.

If this were all that SOE 2 had to offer, I'd say even without review, you may want to rent or pass on this one, but DC Studios has went the extra mile, or at least few hundred feet to bring some very fun and interesting arcade style games. Here is the rundown: Sniper Challenge, Helicopter Challenge, Ghetto Chaos, Mini Tank Challenge, Mounted Gun Challenge, Worker Zone Chaos, Rocket Challenge, Speedboat Challenge, Enforcer (kill speedboat), Speed boat race, and more! Complete with an over the top announcer who spouts off phrases like, "that went right through his skull", during a head shot. These arcade games I'm sure were to be designed as extras to play after you finish the story mode, really will fill up more of your time with the game then the story will.

The game play is pretty standard for a third person shooter, with some elements such as gang control and character switching that keep it from being very mediocre. SOE 2 even provides a much needed sensitivity adjuster for aiming, as the game feels far too loose on default. Lastly, in this preview version, I noticed that sometimes the controls would continue on their own, even after I had stopped with my commands. I am sure this will be ironed out in the final release.

When it is all said and done, whether we need another State of Emergency title is debatable, especially since they do more things right than wrong this time around. Just know from the get go that this title isn't a classic like the GTA series, and frankly tries not to be, but I guess knowing your flaws almost makes up for the lack of originality the game may possess. Look for the full review once the game hits next month.

"We are looking forward to reintroducing everyone to Spanky and his crew and to hitting the top of the charts again," said Mark Greenshields, Chief Executive Officer of DC Studios. "Our team has made State of Emergency 2 a really great game and one that far surpasses the original. I am extremely pleased to be publishing State of Emergency 2 with SouthPeak and confident that together we will make SOE2 a great success"

Grittier and more realistic than its predecessor and with a highly involving single-player story mode, State of Emergency 2 takes place four years after the original and has Spanky, MacNeil, Bull and the rest of the Freedom movement once again battling to rid the world of the oppressive Corporation, an evil corporate dictatorship that is intent on the global enslavement of the masses.

State of Emergency 2 ratchets up the excitement with the incorporation of exciting gameplay highlights including:

• Single player action - Innovative 12 mission single player mode featuring a huge array of features and a full cinematic story experience. Adds a riveting single player campaign to the fun and mayhem of the game.

• Huge numbers of simultaneous on-screen characters - From the prisoners of the early missions to the unruly inhabitants of the Ghetto and the downtrodden populace of the Workers' Zone, crowds can be rallied to the cause or frozen in fear depending upon how they are treated by the player.

• Swarms of enemies - The game features nine different types of intelligent enemy that will choose when to defend and when to attack, and that are capable of hunting the player down if they choose to hide.

• Gang control - Spanky can control Capitol City's various gangs to assist him in overcoming the odds against wave after wave of Enforcers.

• Multiple vehicles - Helicopters, Tanks, Armored Personnel Carriers and Speedboats are all playable and all hugely destructive -- even the speedboat has a mortar fixed to the front.

• Character switching - Choose the right man for the job. Switching player can also be used as a tactic when low on health and can prove vital to survival and progression through the levels.

• Interrogation - This mini game has Spanky eliciting information the way only he knows how. Hit your informer too weakly and he will deliver a barrage of indignant abuse; too hard and you may send him to the Great Beyond.

• 15 frantic arcade challenges - 15 arcade challenges, each with gold, silver and bronze medals and their own high score table, ranging from rocket, tank, and sniper challenges to the incredibly fast-paced and hilarious Kaos modes.

• Five multiplayer modes for 1-4 players - Multiplayer modes include deathmatch and flag attack, as well as more unconventional modes such as Last Man Standing and Battle mode.