Silent Scope

THE BAD:
lack of life , no good for multiplayer sessions

SUMMARY:
The games good in most aspects but due to its simplicity it has a certain lack of life but alround a good game which is why i gave it a 3.9.

THE BAD:
- Inferior control method compared to the arcade version
- Goes a bit over the top on the harder difficultys
- A little too short

SUMMARY:
You are a professinal sniper working for the government. When the President is captured, it is up to you to rescue him. Even if that means putting your life on the line... all in a days work for Silent Scope.

If anyone has ever played the excellent arcade version, you know what to expect as the scenario has been taken directly from it. But, thankfully, it is not just a port. The scope system works differently on the Dreamcast as you do not have sniper rifle to use (as in the arcade version). You can manipulate the speed the scope travels at for precision shooting and you have the option to move without scope sights by depressing the "B" button. It works quite well and, although it takes some getting used to, is as good as the light gun.

Firstly, there is a whole new training option. This pits you, in four different game modes and on three different locations, against cardboard cut outs. Shoot an innocent and it is game over. May sound easy, but this gets extremly frantic on the later training levels, which have you rushing around checking each person to see if they have a gun (shooting wildy is not a good way to get top grades at the end of a level, and also results in your chief telling you to "Calm Down!" Ouch).

There are two shooting ranges, one indoor and one outdoor. The indoor range has you shooting cardboard cutouts. You get different points depending on where you shoot. There is even a watermelon shootout to test your accuracy under pressure. However, the outdoor range is slightly different. Like in the training modes, you are shooting against cardboard cut outs, but these ones bounce up and down randomly.

The story mode plays out the bulk of the game. The first level finds you atop a tall building, shooting at advancing terroists. Complete that and you get an option - finish off the remaining criminals, have a helicopter showdown to save the First Lady or go to the stadium to save the President's daughter. From there on the excellent scope gameplay really shows.

Granted, the story mode is a tad short, but the time trial modes give you another reason to play it again other than bettering final grades.

Unless you live a life of undercover secret agent work, it is the only chance you will get to shoot terroists without getting arrested. All in all, this is one game you will not be dissapointed by!