"The Most Exciting 24 hours of your life..."

“The most exciting 24 hours of your life…”

Let me first say that I am a huge fan of the show, 24. I have seen it from the first season, up until the current season that is playing. I love the intensity and action that goes down every episode; I'm practically addicted and very passionate about it. That's why the second I read about the game coming out, I was counting down the days until it hit the stores. After a trip to buy some games, 24 was the first one I started playing. I expected it to one of the best games I would ever play and it would be just like the show, and I was right on target. (Please note that these are MY PERSONAL opinions and I don't want to change how you feel about the game. I just want to let you know how I feel on some of the subjects.)

Storyline and Gameplay-10/10
The storyline was awesome. It seemed like a real disaster that could happen to Jack Bauer and CTU and it was amazing. It seemed to fit like a glove as part of the 24 series. It made a perfect transition between seasons 2 and 3. Nothing seemed out of place in the time period and was an amazing game. I felt like I had been absorbed right into the TV show.

The story was that Jack is trying to find out information about some Ricin bombs and an assassination attempt on the vice president, when CTU is attacked and Kim is kidnapped (naturally). You have to do an array of things and it was very realistic compared to the show. You have the entire cast of MAIN characters from seasons 2 and 3 in the CTU area; from Tony to Michelle, from Chase to Chloe and even Ryan Chappelle and Nina Meyers.

I loved the gameplay. It was very well though out. You got to play as Michelle, Tony, Kim, Chase, and Jack (obviously). You could hit a button and announce yourself as a CTU agent and take them into custody or chase a guy down an alley. There were car chases and times where you had to hack into a computer or steal a security pass. You had to scan buildings to find snipers and bomb locations. You had to just about everything you would expect Jack Bauer and CTU to do in a regular season.

The only thing that kept this from being a perfect 10 was the fact that there was a certain point where you had to interrogate a certain person. The first one you do isn't too hard and neither is the last, but the second time is quite difficult and frustrating and it takes several tries before you can do it. I was also upset because of the percentage you get after every hour…it disappointed me because sometimes I never knew why I had received a certain score, even after looking at the status of the mission. Other than that, the gameplay was great.

Sounds-10/10
The sounds were amazing. The music was great and I was very pleased with the sound effects. I loved hearing the real effect of bullets, helicopters, explosions, cars, and anything else that would make the game come alive. If there was an explosion of gas tanks, you heard it.

The voice acting was one of the best parts of all. All of the actors who played in the series had their voices in the game. I was excited to see that Kiefer Sutherland and others, such as Carlos Bernard and Reiko Aylesworth, had their voices in the game to go along with their characters. It was totally like watching the show and I could hear the emotion in their voices. They brought each and every one of the characters to life.

Graphics-10/10
The graphics were unbelievably fabulous. Each of the characters looked just like the actors and actresses who played them in the show. Even the people who don't play in the show were beautifully drawn. I loved seeing how great each of the characters was drawn and I felt like it was created true to how the people really look. You could also see some expression in the characters' faces. When the characters ran, it was also very true to life.

As for the scenery and surroundings, those were fabulous. The enemies flew when you shot gas tanks or fuel barrels. The enemies also stayed put when they were killed (I know how that sounds) and they didn't disappear 4 seconds after being shot, like they do on some games. If you were driving and you were hit by a car, the car took damage. It didn't just look like a normal car and then five seconds later, it blew up because some soccer mom hit you with her mini-van. You could see the helicopters above you and the roads were realistic. The roads had buildings, highways, traffic, street lights, bridges, storm drains, parking lots, and other things you would think to see in L.A. They even had districts, like the Financial District.

Overall:
I give this game a 9/10. It was awesome and a lot of fun for me to play. I would definitely recommend this game for ALL fans. However, if you are not a fan (which I don't know why you wouldn't be), I'm not really sure how to guide you. I suppose it is totally up to you, but since there are so many hours of gameplay and action in the game, you could definitely play this game multiple times.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/20/06