A GTA clone in the jungle for people with loads of patience.
The rpg elements in this game were interesting and it was fun to get better at something with practise. Shoot a lot of enemies and shooting will become easier. Carry stuff around and you will get stronger. Run around a lot and your maximum health increase. It's all very interesting and kept me playing for some extra hours in order to maximize my character.
The player character should be an ex-military type of guy but it's kind of strange that he doesn't handle guns or vehicles all that well without practise. But that thing is actually explained quite well in the game as you play because mr. Meyers will keep reminding that he's throat is dry and he should get a drink or find a bar even though I haven't exposed him to alcohol yet.
The controls are sharp and the character moves like he should except when he's drunk (we've seen something like it in a game three years later) and when the character is injured he limbs around. Driving on the other hand isn't as loose as it propably should be so now it feels like driving a train on rails.
Graphics work okay although they're nothing spectacular. And the weather effects are not as inspiring as I would hope. The sounds are okay, I guess. Can't say I felt they were all too convincing or anything I could remember more than five minutes.
Yes the game has an amazingly large playfield that is build basically from three of four types of small jungle blocks that are stuck on repeat and from one city and one rebel town. Also there's some small mansions and farms and airports but they are empty and feel insignificant when compared to the vast majority of the jungle that keeps on going. And the ways of transportation? Well, obviously by foot or with cars, boats, planes & helicopters that are all slow options. (If you have the money use taxi services.) Of course it all adds to the feeling that you are in a massive jungle but...
It gets frustrating when the ways to complete a mission all require you to travel roughly ten minutes into some direction in order to get something that you have to deliver back to where you left in the first place - without a radio to entertain you. And most side missions are like that. The ones that are not are usually about shooting a lot of enemies and that actually works quite well. The enemies react to the shots pretty decently although it doesn't affect their aiming abilities one bit - but when playing on the easy level it doesn't matter. It still is quite satisfying to see enemies limp away from you after a few shots to the leg.
This game has very little replay value because the missions are similar on each faction so it doesn't matter what kind of character you play. You still see the same missions. Well, of course the game is a whole lot easier in some of the main missions if you play as a criminal. Of course you get to see different dialogue between the main character and the characters that give you missions and some of it is quite funny.
Some very annoying parts of the game (the type of delivery missions, monotonic terrain) couldn't hide the fact that this amateurish production has a lot of potential in its action-rpg hybrid. And I am actually looking forward to the sequel that hopefully makes the game a lot more enjoyable. If you find this one with a low price tag from a bargain bin and are a fan of GTA clones and want to experience a sweaty jungle action then you should give this one a try.