Developer: SCEE Cambridge | Publisher: SCEE | Format: PS2
Reviewer: Craig Gallagher For the vast majority of us, a bad day involves being late for work and losing the television remote. For Jack Bauer, it involves his daughter being kidnapped, an attempt on the vice presidents life, and the bombing of his workplace, the Counter Terrorist Unit. That fact that all this happens before, the half way mark indicates just how true the game stays to the series.
Taking place between the events of season two and three, the game goes to extreme lengths to copy the series in all areas, hand held cameras, dialogue that’s shouted, split screens, and the hectic pace. Almost every character from seasons one and two who wasn't killed plays some part in the experience, and given that they've all lent their likeness and voice talents to proceedings makes the game feel like a lost series of the show.
The game packs one hell of a narrative, you feel compelled to continue playing just to see what happens next. This is where the problem lies; the quality of gameplay fluctuates between the good and the down right atrocious. Taut unnerving interrogations, race against the clock run and gunning compete with boring stealth scenes and terrible driving sections. And let’s not forget the difficulty level, which is amazingly simple one minute and almost unplayable the next.
For sheer thrills 24 is unparalleled, its just a shame that sometimes it has nothing to do with the gameplay and a lot to do with the narrative. Fans of the series will be in heaven, anyone else should best look elsewhere.
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