 |
| OVERALL RATING |
4.0 |
| Presentation |
 |
3.5 |
| Control |
 |
4.5 |
| Gameplay |
 |
4.0 |
| Fun factor |
|
4.0 |
| User Rating |
 |
3.0 |
 |
 |
Posted: February 17, 2006
In 24, you play the role of a CTU agent alongside Jack Bauer in a race against what else…time. A terrorist plot has been uncovered and you must race to neutralize it by whatever means necessary.
You will take on missions by contacting and assigning them to Jack Bauer and other agents. They consist of setting up a phone trace, defusing a bomb, decrypting information, infiltrating an area or driving to a location just to name a few. Most will be played out through a series of mini-games and puzzles and in some cases you will also be able to shoot it out against the bad guys.
The types of mini-games and puzzles vary greatly such as playing a form of Qix to triangulate a signal or decrypting notes by placing letters in the proper location to form cohesive statements. Still others will have you creating a pattern, connecting points and much more and don’t be surprised if you have to successfully complete more than one of these to finish the mission. It will take some practice to figure out some of the duties and luckily I-play has included a CTU Training option before some of the levels and as a separate mode to help. At the start, these might seem like they are impeding on the action but trust me, you will need as much practice as possible.
Like the show, time is a central character with the amount taken to complete each mission key. If you fail to complete the mission in the time allotted, a time penalty is accrued and you must start the mission once more. This will make it crucial to understand what agents are available and who is more effective at what so that you can assign the right agent to the task. For this, each agent will have expertise in four categories including Field Training, Durability, Concentration and Computer Tech. Even so, while this may work in some instances, sometimes you’ll have to bite the bullet and send a less-prepared agent into battle because of different mission objectives. This balances the difficulty well.
24 isn’t the sharpest looking and sounding game available but it functions really well in capturing the source material. The game play elements vary enough to keep you entertained, the plot thickens to maintain excitement and the style is well-suited for mobile. While it doesn’t follow the show’s current storyline, it will still give fans plenty to enjoy and a taste of what it feels like to be part of CTU.
