GAME
Pariah

Format: Xbox
Hip Games
£34.99

3 760049 399332
Age Restrictions: 16+
Available
06 May 2005


Jack Mason is a burnt-out doctor and an outcast rejected by society. He has been sent to assess the threat level of an unknown pathogen that was released into the atmosphere. With no will to live, until he nearly dies in a transport crash, Jack and his infected patient are stranded deep within the most vicious prison sectors of a wasteland called "Earth"...

The best way to describe Pariah is as a Halo 2 clone. While not as impressive as the Halo franchise, Pariah still has a lot going for it.

It's your usual run-of-the-mill game (you run around shooting the bad guys) but instead of charging around blindly, blasting your way through each level, this game's developers have added plenty of tactile weapons to the usual bland arsenal. In most first-person shooters, it doesn't usually matter if you use the machine gun or the shotgun, both get the job done. With Pariah, the additional weapons (sniper rifle and grenade launcher with remote detonator) mean that you can plot your best way through your enemies territory if you want to avoid losing too much energy.

The graphics are pleasing on the eye and the sound effects are pretty cool. And, while the story line is pretty run-of-the-mill, the cut sequences and vocal talents of the actors are pretty good.

The only real problem I had was the fact that the controls for driving the vehicles are not very well thought out. In fact, it was such a pain to begin with that I left the vehicles and wandered everywhere on foot.

This game steps up several notches when playing online. While the AI of the computer is pretty good, there's nothing quite like going head to head with other gamers. There's also a map editor if you fancy designing your own levels - which is pretty damn cool.

A very well designed and addictive first-person shooter.

Pete Boomer

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£28.99 (Amazon.co.uk)

   
£34.99 (MVC.co.uk)
   
£29.99 (Gameseek.co.uk)

All prices correct at time of going to press.