Silent Scope Review - VGLN.com PS2 Reviews

Arcade sniper-shooter gets the PS2 treatment, with better graphics, a better frame rate, but alas, no Sniper rifle attachment.

Arcade shooters have been a rarity for console systems and for the life of me I can't figure out why. The arcade shooter is the epitome of arcade-ish gameplay and with a good gun peripheral, can be one of the most genuine arcade experiences, at home.

The PSX had Time Crisis, an excellent shooter in the arcades that made the transition to the PSX hardware very well, minus a few loading issues and overall graphical prowess, the game was good, and even came with a fruity colored looking pistol should you decide to utilize one. Then there was Dead or Alive 2 for the Dreamcast and PC. The game was fantastic and the graphics were far superior to any arcade shooter on any home system at the time, unfortunately the game was released shortly after the April 1999 Columbine high school shooting. Media attention to video game violence was great, and John McCain and Senator Lieberman were having a field day using "video games" as a scapegoat for two insane teenagers who were admitted racist and drugs users. Lieberman, Presidential Candidate Al Gore's running partner, even went on to state his opinion on video games in a very biased manner, "...games that allow you to viciously tear woman apart, those are the games I want to get rid of". Uh yeah, it sure looks like Lieberman knows a lot about video games (sarcasm off). I know who I'm NOT voting for in November.

Notwithstanding what a certain ignorant senator believes, we must now put Konami's first PS2 game under the microscope. Silent Scope may remind a few of you of a certain PC Counter-Terrorist simulation, Rainbow Six. Except, you don't actually have that much freedom over your control, you're on a preset track, similar to Star Fox. Plus, the game is played mostly from a snipers point of view. The control is not as bleak as you might think since the PS2 lacks a light gun peripheral as of yet, it's quite intuitive. The reticule can be zoomed in or out, and moved about with the reticule. When zoomed in, 1/4 of the screen becomes the view of the zoomed in scope, when zoomed out, the screen becomes almost like Rainbow Six and the whole field of view is visible, and your "sniper" rifle becomes a makeshift assault rifle. When zoomed out, an array of three triangles will indicate an enemy on screen. However, when zoomed in and the enemy is not on scope, red arrows will point you in the right direction to kindly put a cap in his ass.

Graphically, the game is above and beyond the arcade model, no screenshots will do it justice, it has to be seen to be believed. The perfect clarity of hi-res graphics on the PS2 is astounding. However, after looking at this game for a while, the graphical touches high-res graphics don't really seem all that great when you take into account that there aren't too many moving objects on screen. Maybe a terrorist, a truck, a cop, but never more than 3 or 4 moving objects on screen at the same time, so the game is not exactly pushing the system to its peak. Not that I expected it to, but I can't help but shake the feeling that this game could have been easily done on the Dreamcast. However, the stages are quite beautiful, especially the highly detailed cityscapes, very nice Konami.

The storyline is basically the cut and paste method most arcade shooters use. "The *famous world leader* *Famous world leader's relative* has been captured and you must save them ! Even the end stage bosses are House of the Dead -like in their nature. You'll usually meet an end of stage boss who has some weak point that you shoot at, whether it be his head (oh really ? You think ?), a place on his vehicle, or his nuts. You hit a boss in the head though and you get an instant kill most of the time. One level has you pitted against a Harrier Jet, while you're in a helicopter, you have to shoot the Harrier Jet down with your sniper rifle (anyone hear of rocket launchers ?). Shooting the cockpit does more damage then shooting a wing, so make sure you shoot the pilot.

The game isn't very hard and can be beaten in about an hour or less, depending on how quick you are on the trigger. There are a variety of paths to take to the end, each one varying in difficulty. One stage has you in the city helping take out terrorist as a gun battle between cops and terrorist rages. Terrorist snipers will take put shots at you during the stage, but if you can't hit them before you, maybe "Barney's Animal Farm" is more your taste. Another stage has you on a highway chasing baddies as they speed away with a hostage in hand. They'll attempt to shoot you and throw flaming barrels in your path as you speed after them. The stages are really beautiful and exemplify the meaning of "graphical beauty". However, there is not enough of them, hence the "one hour or less" playing time. Like Time Crisis, beating a stage fast helps since there is a time limit on stages. Beating a stage fast conserves time, saving a hostage adds time. There are a few other modes in Time Crisis besides the basic arcade mode. Training mode is basically a shooting gallery where you hone your skills. Time attack mode is self explanatory, you get to pop terrorist as fast as you can, the faster you pop them, the better your score.

Audio is okay in Silent Scope. The music has a jazzy, Capcom vs. X-Men 2 theme to it in training mode, and fits in, strangely enough. The action music is like "The Rock" and fits the game nicely. The gun shot sounds are nice and big, especially on a good sound system, but it can get repetitive. The dialogue is the standard, "We have some terrorist on the roofs, shoot them" with the radio-transmitter effect applied to them. It's all very convincing. Not too shabby in the audio department.

Silent Scope is a great example of what a first generation PS2 game can do graphically, while not mind boggling as you might expect, the graphics are better than the arcade and more than serve the purpose. The game cost quite a bit though, $59.99-$49.99 which is a bit pricey for a disc based game, but you can probably find it for less if you search. Overall, the game feels a bit on the short side, and even if you take the multiple paths to the end, will only occupy your time for a little more than an hour. While you might feel inclined to play through it 4 or 5 times, that still isn't enough to warrant shelling out $50-$60. If you like shooters AND own a PS2, by all means, buy it. However, if you're just looking for a good PS2 launch game, look elsewhere to spend your gaming dollar.

--- Jolex Del Pilar

	Gameplay: [7.5] Standard shooter type action game. Interesting boss battles. Still the game is a bit on the short side for my taste. No gun peripheral.
	Graphics: [7.5] Fantastic graphics. Not what you'd expect on a PS2, but definitely better than anything out there, almost (Dreamcast anyone ?).
	Sound: [7.0] The standard affair, with nice gunshot pop, and even orders delivered with that radio static effect. Very cool. Music is nice, but not very varied. Not bad, but the gun shot sounds get repetitive.
	Presentation: [8.0] The menu system is clear and intuitive, cut scenes are nice, although the ending is a little dry. Storyline pacing is nice, although the storyline itself is cut and paste.
	Replay Value: [5.5] The game is too damn short. If you can't beat it in less than an hour, you should consider a different pastime. Even with the multiple paths, the game falls short in this area. The training mode and time attack modes are almost after thoughts.
	Global Score: [6.8] Not exactly a bad game, but it is lacking in replay value, and overall substance. Hopefully the sequel addresses this. Until then, hold on to your gaming dollars or buy a copy of Time Crisis for the PSX.

Click here for an explaination of our "hit and miss"rating system.