Headhunter
Headhunter was a game I came across only recently. It was originally a Dreamcast game published overseas, but only came to the US for the PS2 and was published here by Acclaim.
Before I had played Headhunter I expected an open world mission based game, and an action packed third person shooter. Headhunter delivered on both of those genres, but what I didn’t expect at all from the game, was an old school adventure aspect to it.
In short, Headhunter is the story of a top assassin who ends up losing his memory and has to start working from the ground up to take down a crime lord. Not the most original story, but it works. There are some interesting characters in the game which will keep you interested. Also there are several live action news broadcasts that are designed to give the player more information on what kind of world Headhunter is set in. They also set up some of the plot, and are humorous, but overall really don’t fit the feel of the game.
After getting out of the hospital with your memory loss, you’re approached by a woman with a job for you. The job is to take out the crime boss who is responsible for the death of her father. Although the main character used to be an AAA rank headhunter, it’s been revoked on account of his memory loss. You’re required to apply for a beginner headhunter license and work your way up.
To qualify for a license you need to earn a certain amount of skill points, earlier on this translates to just driving really fast on your motorcycle. Once you complete the test (which consists of driving, sneaking, and combat sequences) you can start hunting down leads. There’s an open city you can drive your motorcycle around. More areas become unlocked as your clearance goes up, and you can only get off your bike at certain locations, so it’s not quite like a sandbox game. It works more like “No More Heroes”.
The controls are very smooth, driving controls can take some getting used to, but they work well. The game uses an auto aim system that makes shooting easy and less frustrating. There’s also a ton of cover around that you need to use to survive. There are items like grenades, mines, and health packs around that you can pick up to help as well.
Now to the part of the game to really impressed me, the adventure aspect. As you move around locations you’ll spend a lot of time searching for items needed to advance in other areas. You can see from the video in the gas station, that you have to run back and fourth using items to complete your objectives. It’s not quite as complex as a Lucasarts or Sierra adventure game, but it’s much more fleshed out that the Resident Evil / Silent Hill style of puzzle systems. In the end it’s my favorite aspect of the game.
Now, for the one thing that does make the game frustrating. Checkpoints are pretty far apart, and while you can save all the time, it only saves to the last major check point, meaning turning off the game can set you even further back than as if you just died. This isn’t too big of a deal since the game isn’t too hard, but what is difficult are the bosses. Expect to redo the area before the bosses a lot.
If you’re looking for a more involved experience than just point and shoot, or like the idea of a shooter/adventure hybrid, I would recommend Headhunter. The driving is fun, the combat is good, and the puzzles really add to it.
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