Playstation 2 - Predator: Concrete Jungle

Format
Playstation 2
Publisher
Vivendi Universal
Developer
Eurocom
Country of origin
UK
Release date
April 2005
Genre
Shooter

Predator: Concrete Jungle

By David Rasmussen
8th Jun 05

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen a Predator game… at least one that didn’t also involve the Aliens… though I have a feeling Aliens might be making an appearance in this game.
This new game, however, is totally original as far as I can see! As far as I know this is not based on any movies or comics or anything of the sort, making this a brand new story set in the Predator universe that seems to delve a little bit into the Predator culture itself as it allows you to play as a Predator of a particular clan. And it all starts off in the past, the year 1930 to be precise.

As you know, Predators like to come during the hot seasons to hunt, and it is during one of these hot seasons on Earth that a Predator lets things get out of hand during a “hunt“ which leads to the “death” of the city he is stalking in (and it’s own dishonor).
For it’s “crimes” it is punished by it’s people by banishment on an Alien infested world, where it would die… or will it? 100 years later they come back for him, noticing the rather drastic drop in Alien population post their wayward clan member‘s exile… just as well since it seems that they need a bad@$$ like him for a job and after 100 years kicking Alien butt he’s more than ready for the task at hand -- a task he was originally responsible for bringing about in the first place!

Anyway, as you might have guessed, that Predator’s presence on Earth in 1930 has greatly influenced their “prey”, especially since it has conveniently left it’s “hunting tools” behind which humans have managed to retrofit into their own “weapons” of the “hunt”. In 100 years they have learned to resist their “Hunters”, and have begun to neutralize Predators that arrive during the hot seasons…. Not to mention neutralize each other when there are no Predators to shoot at (during the off seasons).

Obviously the Predators are kind of miffed about this turn of events, and have ordered the lone Predator who caused all this trouble to make amends by stealing back the technology stolen from them 100 years ago by a careless act, and make things right again on the Earth… mostly by flaying, slaughtering, killing, breaking, ripping apart and decapitating for trophies those who hold Predator inspired technology… and the occasional nutcase that wanders by. Heck, anyone shoots at you and you’re free to go break them. Go wild.

But simply being deposited on the Earth with a set of tasks is only the beginning of your quest for redemption in this game. Speaking of which it seems there’ll be no star power being deposited in this game.
Yeah. Apparently Arnold Schwarzenegger was too busy running California (his only gaming appearances being in two Terminator games post Terminator 3 : Rise of the Machines -- the T3 : RotM game and the far superior Terminator 3 : Redemption game), and Danny Glover isn’t available.
So, here you are, dropped back on Earth where you’ll stalk the holders of your vital technology one at a time, stealing back the technology while making examples of those who defiled Predator tech by making them into hanging piñatas, or taking the skulls/spines of their leaders and strongest members home as souvenirs of Earth, or hacking them into little bitty pieces. At least it’s better than a damn “I Blew Up An Earth City In 1930 And All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt” deal!

Along the way you’ll run into old friends of the Predator franchise (the Haitians, who last appeared in Predator 2), new friends (brain dead druggies known as the “Deadmen” and the Italian mafia to name a few), and random innocent/guilty people to ply your trade on… sorta as you’ll see.
There also seems (if you check the Trophy room) a chance to fight your own kind (Predators) and Aliens
(if you read the chapter titles you see a chance to fight Aliens in some of the titles).
That and a vast array of kicking moves to deal death out to your enemies alone should make this game something to consider for purchase, but there are other things to note for good and not good.

One of the game’s “selling” points is that it’s supposed to have a freeform cityscape for you to explore,
HOWEVER that is simply not the case here. If you are looking for a Grand Theft Auto III slash Vice City slash San Andreas style city to explore and freeform missions to undertake then you’ve been lied to.
The city is very structured, as are the missions, and you’ll have only a set amount of space to wander as well as missions that HAVE to be completed to move from level to level. And, yes, while some missions do pop up here and there (in the form of “bonus missions” which provide unlockables if completed) it’s not enough to make this a so called “freeform” cityscape to wander. There is still way too much structured gameplay here, too much to say there‘s “Free“ anything in this game since “Free“ means I can wander wherever I want and not be stopped by “Police“ holo barriers and dead ends everytime I want to explore the city.
That, if anything, is something of a pity since when I heard about this on X-Play (for the first time on their preview look) it sounded so cool to be able to wander freely through a city looking for missions and the like, but that just isn’t happening here.

Then there’s the killing. It looks like you can kill anything if you base that assumption on the original preview look at this game, but there is a structure to the killing (which I thought would be in place when you think about the Predator culture), and that’s a good thing.

Yes, the Predator’s code of honor is intact in this game, and you are encouraged not to break it.
You have honorable kills, and dishonorable kills, which means you can’t just go killing willy-nilly here since your not supposed to rack up a dishonorable kill count. You have to have some conduct and honor while doing your murdering throughout this game… and yes, I know that sounds like an oxymoron and all but bear with me… HOWEVER If the game says you can kill somebody, even if you couldn‘t before, then feel free to kill them. Also if someone is shooting at you they are automatically OK for killing, unless you‘re doing an escort mission like during the italian mob mansion level then don‘t kill what you‘re supposed to be protecting. Otherwise just remember to don’t kill the innocent hookers even if X-Play made it sound like you can murder them at will (unless you are told to do so then kill away but ONLY if a mission specifically says it‘s OK).

Gameplay is fun, and the controls are easy to master… though you’ll just be whacking the same buttons over and over again to finish each enemies which gets a little tedious…. Of course you don’t HAVE to do that if you don‘t want to! Memorize all your moves and try to mix and match them, it’ll keep the game fresh and you’ll never tire of the many many many ways you can unleash painful death on the humans of Neonopolis (the city you are stalking). I didn’t. Somehow I found it easier just to memorize some favorite moves and stick to them relentlessly, though again that’s abit boring so don’t be like me.
Anyway as you complete bonus missions and unlock new weapons you’ll find your methods to unleash death on the humans will increase with each mission completed and each weapon unlocked, which means more things to learn and bone up on. Sure, you could be like me and suffice with a favorite move or two, but that‘d be boring! So don’t be like me everybody! Play with your lovely weapons of death!
And death is even prettier here since you’re killing with a ragdoll physics engine in full play (which is something I wish the Medal Of Honor games had), so death can be both creative and visually pleasing to watch as you toss, kick, hurl and fling enemies to their death.

As for the levels? As I said above each level has a set amount of missions that need to be accomplished, some requiring some level of stealth to finish (usually with the use of your cloaking device) while others are straight out hack/slash which only require endurance to complete… others are a mix of both! (For instance you‘ll have to face down police mech suits that look like they were inspired by the loader mech suit Ripley wore to fight the Alien Queen in Aliens, and that requires abit of stealth and hack/slash to take out).
Of course the longer you stay cloaked (to move about unseen) the more it drains your power, ditto if you use certain weapons which also requires a payment of power in order for useage (and it’s not just the shoulder mounted plasmacaster that requires energy for useage)! Still, if you look carefully enough (using your green tinted “vision” on your visor) you can find power points where you can recharge your energy ASAP as well as find equipment and medical pick-me-ups (always on the rooftops since Predators think humans can’t jump… and in this game they can’t).
Oh, and while the narrator (who I hate) says you have to stay hidden from the human “prey”? Not really… at least at the start. I ran out of energy for the cloak in one level and ended up running through the streets in front of everyone… and the game did not end because of this. Well, that and I avoided conflict when possible and didn’t kill innocents so maybe that helped.

With a bag new gear that should seem quite familiar to Predator fans, a cloaking device and a ship to report back to later in the game (a ship owned by former “visitors“ who had the unfortunate luck to die at the hands of their prey), as well as healing gear and weapons reloads that is plentiful but only on the rooftops? You’ll have lots of gear to work with in this game, and lots of means to kill those you hunt! Lots!
I didn’t unlock all the weapons so I can’t say if 100% of the weapons are there, but I’m hazarding a guess that every Predator weapon throughout the ages is here to be had, and unlocked, which is another plus.

The difficulty level is… hmmm… there are three levels of difficulty to set, and the middle of the road Normal mode (Blooded) is fairly challenging to get through, though sometimes you might get stuck on a level because of something you have to do, or not do. Still, with enough work you should be moving from level to level in no time.

Besides the storymode of “Chapter Select” you’ll also have a “Ritual Challenge” level to play.
Unlocked as you complete the chapters of the regular game, these are simply racing games that move you from Point A to Point B passing through checkpoints as you try to beat the fastest times of the computer. Not very interesting. From the name alone I would have thought “Ritual Challenge” concerned turning people into trophies but no such luck here.

One interesting twist is the bonus missions. During story mode you can complete certain bonus missions (kill a psychopath or something like that) which in turn will unlock character upgrades, new weapons or bonus costumes with the successful completion of each bonus mission. Yeah. Another interesting twist is the selectable costumes you can dress your Predator in, each representing a time in the Predator series including a majority of 2030 costumes made specifically for this game, an old school Jungle costume from the Schwarzenegger Predator movie, an urban costume for Danny Glover’s Predator 2 movie, and an Antarctic designed Alien costume for Alien Vs. Predator. Sorry, no Dark Horse comic inspired costumes.
That, by the way, is another plus to this game since all the game animations including the cut scenes reflect what Predator costume you presently are wearing (unlike other games where the cutscenes don’t show any change to your clothes despite the fact you might be wearing a variant outfit).
Say for instance you play the first level as the 2030 Predator and see all the cut scenes and the like… then you go back and play again in your NEW costume you earned from 1930 (take the time to stop and kill an Irish mob boss for this costume) and you’ll see all the scenes again but now you’re wearing your new suit.

Now, as for it’s overall rating, if I had to hazard a guess though on how I would rate it?
Well with the pros and cons in I’d have to say the pros overcome whatever few cons I may have about this game, and make this a game worth playing, and owning if I can help it. But you should know that there are better games, especially when it comes to freeform play. You want freeform play? Stick to the beloved classic Grand Theft Auto : San Andreas, you won’t find that kind of freewheeling gameplay here.
Sure, Predator : Concrete Jungle is not a runaway hit but it’s a solid game that deserves a place in your collection if you are a Predator fan (or a fan of a good solid game). It won’t win any major prizes anytime soon but it still deserves at least a rental for consideration if nothing else. Ok. Breakdown time.

Predator : Concrete Jungle Breakdown
What’s Hot?
If you like the Predator franchise, and you like killing people (and according to X-Play everybody loves that) and turning them into lovely decorative statements that hang from either the top of buildings or in your private trophy room, this is the game for you. It’s good, and has lots of playability and replay value to it (you’ll even be playing missions over and over as you play to get every extra you can get out of each)!

What’s Not?
I wish the game lived up to it’s so called “promise” of being a freeform city scape to play in since I don’t see any such thing in the gameplay. The city is too structured, the missions too, which is kind of a disappointment of a so-called freeformed gameplay game. There are a few missions to sidetrack you, but for the most part you’ll stick to a set pattern and complete a set amount of missions in order to proceed from one area to another. Not exactly what I call “Freeform” even if others think it is.

Moments to Remember?
You know the drill… it’s the killing that matters. The many ways to flay, skewer, stab, slash, break, snap, rip and hack a person apart. Ahh… the blood, and the corpses… and the hanging of the blood drenched corpses out for all to see like a grisly pinata… though what the heck did the opening cutscenes mean about a love story in this game?!? I didn’t play far enough to find out so maybe somebody should check on that.

What to Ignore?
There isn’t enough places on your wall for your skull trophies. There are a ton of “side missions” from the red blotches on the right side of the wall, but only a few boss fights. About over a dozen humans, two Predators and MAYBE (if you are lucky) a Queen Alien for that extra omph… and that’s it.
I wish there was more, but I guess this is just fine overall. Maybe if this game earned enough moneywise to warrant a sequel we’ll see more boss characters to kill.

And what the hell is up with the women of this game?
There’s quite abit of innocent women (some of them being hookers most likely) wandering the streets and when they become scared they run into a corner and… and… why does it sound like they’re… uh… doing something that doesn’t sounds less like crying and more like touching themselves in a M for Mature way?
Who uses this same voice track for everything from crying to illness to… well… you know! Sheesh!!

Overall?
The game is good. Yes, while it won’t be Best of 2005 material by any stretch of the imagination it’s still got it’s merits and it is worth checking out.
It’s got a kick to it (double kick with a ragdoll physics engine and tons of blood to soak the ground with), has some interesting gameplay mechanics, lots of ways to deal out punishment, and just a fine game for those who like the Predator franchise and wanted a Predator game with bite and blood.
I’m not a big fan of Vivendi Universal but this might be the game that changes my mind about their releases, and I think it deserves your attention when you next see it for rental or purchase so you can see if you think the same way about it as I do. Anyway if in doubt rent it out. Easy, right?

-- David Rasmussen 8th Jun 05

Playstation 2 Predator: Concrete Jungle Images