This game kicks ass. I only wish it would have kicked even more.
Namco's game was long in development, and has a few serious flaws that keep it from being a total classic, however not enough to detract from a fantastic action experience. The story sets you up as a disgraced cop imprisoned to get you off the streets, and you fight your way out after some brutal hand to hand combat. The combat is plentiful, though the moves are incredibly limited, making it somewhat tedious. The glory comes when you get the guns however, as you don't simply reload these things: you toss them away when they are empty and pick up new ones.
The targeting is a bit loose, but gets the job done nonetheless. The shooting is frickin' awesome, violent and plentiful, and some levels are literally so fun I played them over and over just to experience the gunplay within them. One of the best aspects is a simple thing where you can throw a fire extinguisher at someone, and shoot it, blowing away a whole group of guys. It sounds overly simple but is immensly sastisfying. Equally satisfying is your dog Shadow. You can call him to run at guys, take out their gun, and zoom back to you arming you with it. You'll really care for him and he adds so much to the already great gameplay.
The story is long. Way the hell longer than you'd expect, and the acting is top notch. The graphics seem a tad dated though still very serviceable all told. The music is fantastic however, but the cutscenes are where things really shine. Even though you don't get to DO the amazing kickass stuff you see (trust me, its awesome) you'll love it just the same and it just adds that last bit of polish that it needed.
The game is a near classic in the action genre, and is worth playing for anyone who even remotely likes action games. Recommended.