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As rookie cop D'arci Stern, you'll be put through some rigorous training before hitting the mean streets of Union City, an urban jungle where crime has reached epidemic proportions. The action is viewed from the third-person, a la Tomb Raider, and gives you a real sense of freedom. You can go wherever you want, taking control of police cars, motorbikes and even helicopters in a bid to unravel the evil behind the escalating crimewave. There are plenty of nifty little touches that bring the city to life - pull out a gun and the citizens will freeze and hold up their hands, begging for their lives. You can even get away with wasting a few of them. The combat feels really nice, especially when unarmed and surrounded by a few thugs. We particularly enjoy kneeing them in the nachos before throwing them onto the pavement and applying handcuffs. Urban Chaos is wonderfully atmospheric, great fun to play and beautiful to look at. It's also gloomy, repetitive and sometimes extremely unforgiving. Give it a whirl.
Eidos' attempt to drag the classic side-scrolling beat 'em up into the new millennium has failed. Horribly. Fighting Force 2 is resplendent in glorious 3D, which at first could lead you to believe that it's a thoroughly modern game, but its roots are definitely with Final Fight or Streets of Rage. Both were arcade classics, particularly Final Fight in all its multiplayer glory, and nothing beats holding a baddie while your mate slaps his arse with a length of pipe. With Fighting Force 2, developers Core Design (Tomb Raider) have decided to forego a multiplayer option, an option that could have pushed it to the dizzy heights of mediocrity. Instead, you're faced with wave after wave of production line "bad guys" who are easily despatched by means of a punch or kick. There are plenty of weapons lying around, but even a machine gun seems to be no more effective than a kick in the chops. Boring.
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