First I must admit I played this game all of about, 30 minutes, then spent 5 more minutes praising my decision to rented it, rather than wasting $10 that could have gone to important things like, uh, wax paper and WD-40.

I consider myself someone who can see the good through the bad, but as someone once kindly pointed out to me, I have a "low frustration" level. In english, that means I don't like wasting my time, which is what I felt like I was doing with this game.

Although this game has many flaws, I'm going to focus on the ones I feel is most fundamental to it's downfall:

The camera and controls:

I list these together because they're close neighbors with regard to this problem.

Being a PC-Gaming Veteran, I like customizable controls and a camera angle that benefits game play. However, this game boasts two options: vibration on/off and invert on/off. Mind you, the invert applies to up/down looking, left/right is inverted as well, without an option to alter this. To me, this shows a lack in consideration for the customer, as games such as 007 are known to offer 4, 5, 6 and more presets for you to choose from.

There is no form of wall-shooting (such as in The GodFather), though you can aim, with two problems. The first problem is that the aim sight doesn't line up with the characters eyes, by this I mean just because something is in your line of sight, doesn't mean when you aim the wall on your left/right won't block you. The second problem is you can't move while aiming, so when you incur the first problem, you must de-aim, alter stance and re-aim, sometimes more than once. Mind you, this game has "stealth" aspects. When I think stealth, I think Splintercell, whose controls complement the required tactics expected to be employed.

In terms of camera angle, I find myself constantly struggling with the camera. Apparently, it believes it knows where I should be looking better than I. Most of the time this is just a major annoyance, but other times the view "locks" into place, by that I mean your pigeon holed into some obscure view that is completely counter productive. Ex: Your on stairs, trying to look around the corner, yet, all you can see is the Red ninjas backside. While this view isn't a total waste, it doesn't aid the process of killing.

By this point you've probably noticed that I haven't said a single thing about the gameplay aspect, what the game offers, etc. The reason for this is that I honestly don't know and couldn't care less. I believe character controls, and ease of use to be the foundation of any game, if flawed, the rest follows. Considering the array of available games for the PS2, I will be gingerly returning this cup coaster back to blockbuster's shelves and selecting a new title to play.
First I must admit I played this game all of about, 30 minutes, then spent 5 more minutes praising my decision to rented it, rather than wasting $10 that could have gone to important things like, uh, wax paper and WD-40. I consider myself someone who can see the good through the bad, but as someone once kindly pointed out to me, I have a "low frustration" level. In english, that means I don't like wasting my time, which is what I felt like I was doing with this game. Although this game has many flaws, I'm going to focus on the ones I feel is most fundamental to it's downfall:

The camera and controls:

I list these together because they're close neighbors with regard to this problem. Being a PC-Gaming Veteran, I like customizable controls and a camera angle that benefits game play. However, this game boasts two options: vibration on/off and invert on/off. Mind you, the invert applies to up/down looking, left/right is inverted as well, without an option to alter this. To me, this shows a lack in consideration for the customer, as games such as 007 are known to offer 4, 5, 6 and more presets for you to choose from. There is no form of wall-shooting (such as in The GodFather), though you can aim, with two problems. The first problem is that the aim sight doesn't line up with the characters eyes, by this I mean just because something is in your line of sight, doesn't mean when you aim the wall on your left/right won't block you. The second problem is you can't move while aiming, so when you incur the first problem, you must de-aim, alter stance and re-aim, sometimes more than once. Mind you, this game has "stealth" aspects. When I think stealth, I think Splintercell, whose controls complement the required tactics expected to be employed. In terms of camera angle, I find myself constantly struggling with the camera. Apparently, it believes it knows where I should be looking better than I. Most of the time this is just a major annoyance, but other times the view "locks" into place, by that I mean your pigeon holed into some obscure view that is completely counter productive. Ex: Your on stairs, trying to look around the corner, yet, all you can see is the Red ninjas backside. While this view isn't a total waste, it doesn't aid the process of killing. By this point you've probably noticed that I haven't said a single thing about the gameplay aspect, what the game offers, etc. The reason for this is that I honestly don't know and couldn't care less. I believe character controls, and ease of use to be the foundation of any game, if flawed, the rest follows. Considering the array of available games for the PS2, I will be gingerly returning this cup coaster back to blockbuster's shelves and selecting a new title to play.