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Platform: PlayStation 2, Xbox
Genre: Action
Publisher: Capcom
Developer: CiRCLE Studios
ETA: Fall 2005 (UK) 

 

 

 

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Without Warning

 

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It looks like another terrorist group has spied themselves a tasty little target with their little eyes.  It’s a chemical plant packed full of all sorts of havoc-causing liquid goodies, sure to strike fear into the heart of the nation.  This time the events will be going down in Without Warning for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and it will be up to players to lead a team of six in an anti-terrorist unit who must now work their way into the captured chemical facility to take down the bad guys, and free any hostages in there.

 

Taking some cues from the TV series 24, the game will take place over a 12-hour period, where players will experience each of the anti-terrorist team member’s actions over that time.  Players will control each character individually, as they split up to track down the terrorists, with control shifting between characters as the situation dictates.  With this use of different characters at different places, each of their actions affects what their teammates 

will have to deal with.  What makes the use of so many characters particularly interesting is that shortly after arriving in the plant, half of the military team is wiped out, leaving players with only three members to use.  The other three characters that players will take control of are actually civilians trapped in the plant, ranging from a frightened secretary, to a news cameraman, to a security guard that the terrorists missed.  So, instead of simply running in, guns blazing, players will have three people at their disposal with plenty of military training, and another three with none, who must do their best to help out in their own way.

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With this departure from the gung ho, ultra macho stance we usually see in third person action games, there could be a lot of interesting gameplay opportunities to be found in Without Warning.  Running and gunning is all well and good, but sometimes it’s nice to see new twists in an old formula.  Hopefully when all is said and done in this game, the departures from the norm in Without Warning will work out for the best.

 

Mr. Nash

(May 6, 2005)

 

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Game Features:

 

- Play as six different characters and experience the game from each of their perspectives:

- Three members of the covert operations team :

- Kyle Rivers – the leader of the squad with an experienced combat background

- Jack Hooper – the youngest and most inexperienced member of the team for whom this is the first combat mission

- Ed Reagan – the squad’s bomb disposal specialist who is also formidable in close combat situations

- Three civilians with distinct agendas and views on the events:

- Tanya Shaw – a terrified secretary whose only desire is to escape safely

- Dave Wilson – a security guard who was overlooked by the terrorists; his fierce determination drives him as he fights to rescue his co-workers

- Ben Harrison – a news cameraman who is grounded when his helicopter is shot down by the terrorists; his quest is to obtain breaking news coverage, however dangerous it may be

- Diverse gameplay – exploration, puzzle-solving, dynamic environmental interaction, and a variety of sub missions including bomb diffusion and hostage rescue

- Objective based gameplay progression

- Sophisticated graphics – realistic and highly interactive environments, advanced character animations with well defined emotions, and gripping cut scenes that link the storylines together

- Progressive tutorial – instructs players on how to utilize the vast arsenal of weaponry and equipment

- Fully controllable camera – moves fluidly around characters to rapidly survey surroundings and enable them to change tactics accordingly