I always hoped my first encounter with a virtual Bin-Laden would be a lot more enjoyable then it was in Fugitive Hunter: War on Terror. The game will almost instantly pose the question, who are the people at Black Ops trying to fool? It becomes obvious as soon as you first play this game that the only way they plan on selling it is throwing in America’s most hated terrorist along with 10 others you’ve probably never heard of.The war on terror starts with Jake Seaver, a former Navy SEAL, flying over Afghanistan about to par take on his first missions. Because of his experience in counter-terrorism and urban warfare he was selected to participate in the CIFR, Criminal Interdiction and Fugitive Recovery task force. Before he reaches his destination his copper is shot down and only he survives. The terrorists quickly move into his position and that’s when you take control. After that there isn’t much of a plot, you just go down the list of most-wanted checking off the ones you already caught. Your quest to rid Earth of bad guys will take you all over the world from third-world countries to slummy cities in the U.S.
For a game based on real life situations with real people it sure is unrealistic, unless terrorists really do respawn every couple minutes. If that were my only complaint Fugitive Hunter would be more then a bad game, but of course I have many complaints. Each most-wanted terrorist or criminal encounter begins with some hand-to-hand combat. It’s best described as a sorry attempt at a fighting mode. The fight is followed by a “Rapidly Tap X to Capture” mode. Controls are what you’d expect from a FPS yet some how much worse then the average one. Although you have the ability to crouch and peak your gun around walls the controls feel very limited. Just the slightest tap of the right joystick will send your crosshairs half way across the screen meaning aiming is more of a chore then an activity. There are many times that you’ll find yourself being shot at and, even with red arrows pointing at the enemy’s position, you’ll be walking around a couple of minutes looking for the guy. Each level feels so set up. Enemies never seem to have a purpose besides getting shot (and re-shot several times). They just stand there looking in your direction waiting for you. Maybe this is how fighting terrorism feels like, but I really doubt it.
Fugitive Hunter certainly isn’t a good looking game. I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that the game was hit several times with an ugly stick while in development. The environments feel dead and lack energetic colors. And for some reason launched grenades and rockets leave a vibrant purplish streak. The animations are similar to those you would likely see in an arcade shooter, it certainly doesn’t add to the game.
Audio is not much better. I realize I’m not an expert on the sounds a RPG or a futuristic sniper makes but I think its safe to assume Fugitive Hunter isn’t exactly on par. Dialog, although there is very little of it, is mumbled and dumb. One plus, and probably the game’s only plus is a pretty solid soundtrack with different songs to go with each level.
Final Verdict
What does Fugitive Hunter got going for it? Not really anything. Gameplay is less then mediocre. Fighting is laughable yet at the same time painful. Online or multiplayer modes are non-existent. Graphics are bad as are sound effects. In fact the only way Black Ops could show more lack of effort is if all the terrorists wore a sign above their head reading “Turn off your console now.” It feels like an arcade game but worse. Put this game down as a must-avoid.
Score
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