Rockstar finally makes a great game that is not GTA,in fact ,in a lot of ways it is better. I was not sure what to make of this game when it first was announced,seeing as how i though state of emergency,manhunt,and dead red revolver all stank. But I was suprised at how well it turned out.

I will not get into the story,because for once,they have built a story that is as good if not better than the gameplay.By the time you actually reach the events of the movie,you will know all you need to,plus tons of background material that will make you care about the characters,especially cleon and ajax in my opinion.

The fighting engine is basic,but never gets old because you will never spend too much time just fighting. All the time you will be snuffing out rivals gang tags,stealing car radios,mugging people and breaking into storefronts. Which also brings the element of the police to deal with. There are also some really good closeups on the special,rage ,and more brutal moves that are so grittily done,that they never get boring,in fact they inspire you to master them.

I was also impressed by the side missions and bonus objectives actually having bearing on the gameplay. Anything that does not unlock soldiers or rumble mode,will actually improve your gameplay,and in a sensible way. Do the sidemission that has you uncuff people?gain the handcuff key. Completed the one where you do a mission for twiggy on a overdose of flash? carry more flash,which heals you.
Plus the gym moves,while not as complicated as GTA:SA,its just the A button(X-Box version),actully has more tangible results as a later level has you using the A button to survive.

The replay levels option is also well done,showing a map of all the gang turfs,who they belong too and what missions are available. I find when going back,that I end up spending more time on a level replay,just enjoying the chaos.

All in all this is one of the best games I have played this gen,whith only two things holding it back from perfection.
1. the graphics. If you have played a GTA game,you have pretty much seen it all before. They are not bad,just getting kind of stale.
2. No online component. Not only is a live element great in any game,but the rumble mode is perfectly suited to online play,yet I am left to only imigane a world where I can make a gang with my freinds and rumble for dominance of the online world.

But all in all,i highly recomend this one for all mature players,one of the best mature games to come out this gen,even easily topping the GTA series in my opinion.