State of Emergency is a game which satisifies bloodlust in a cartoon style and succeeds in its niche target.
The story concerns a society in unrest. An oppressive security/police force - appropriately dressed in black - oppresses freedom fighters and vigilantes, and in doing so terrifies the civilian populace. The player is set as one of these freedom fighters, and has to dispatch opposing forces while also working to restore peace in the fragile world State of Emergency inhabits.
But enough backdrop. State of Emergency's main ploy is that of absolute mayhem. SoE places you in enclosed areas - shopping malls, etc - and leaves the player with some serious firepower to, um, restrain the panicked population. The violence is gratuitous in the game, and deserves its 18 rating. However, the graphics are (purposefully) cartoony and the beheadings and massacres are made appropriate - funny, even - for the more squeamish amongst you.
The combat in the game is fast, furious, and often one-sided. The civilians running around like headless chickens are completely weapon-less, while the weaker security forces in the game carry nought but batons. You, however, have access to a plentiful armoury which provides everything from AK47s to miniguns, with grenade launchers and flamethrowers put in for fireworks. This is beautiful in its single-minded simplicity, but (shock horror!) eventually gets stale after a while. Thankfully, you have a decent single player campaign to balance against the threat of boredom.
The story in State of Emergency is fairly simple - you are a vigilante, and must force back the oppressive security force in order to dismantle their barbaric ways and security clampdown. During the game, the player will also run into other antagonists - gangs, and such like. You - as a freedom fighter - must also gun these guys down whilst working to restore order through any means necessary.
In conclusion, State of Emergency is a beautifully simple, arcade-style bout of violence which mixes open-world themes and strong plot effectively. The game does what it aims to, but also lets down in the graphics department and suffers from a few glitches. However, the game is excellent for anyone not fussed about looks and who enjoys some stupid, bloody violence. The game can be found at bargain-bin prices and I would recommend SoE to anyone who meets the criteria above.