Urban Chaos: Riot Response

The other unique feature is the riot shield, a nigh-indestructible chunk of clear polycarbonate that you canhide behind or use to club foes into submission. Always equipped and brought up with the controller's left trigger, the shield is instrumental for getting past fire, steam or any other hazards you'll encounter in the ravaged urban landscape. It's promising as a tactical feature, and is made more interesting by the collection of dents and slashes it accumulates through each mission.

Riot Response will also sport multiplayer options, although the game's producers haven't revealed much yet; apparently, the finished game will feature cooperative, mission-based play, and there were some vague mutterings about "deathmatch elements" as well.

Judging by the small chunk of the game we've seen so far, Riot Response already looks like a big improvement over the original, dismal Urban Chaos (a forgettable PSone/PC/Dreamcast action title). Throw in hostage rescues and unlockable special missions, and it has the potential to be an explosive exercise in high-impact law enforcement.

Mikel Reparaz
After graduating from college in 2000 with a BA in journalism, I worked for five years as a copy editor, page designer and videogame-review columnist at a couple of mid-sized newspapers you've never heard of. My column eventually got me a freelancing gig with GMR magazine, which folded a few months later. I was hired on full-time by GamesRadar in late 2005, and have since been paid actual money to write silly articles about lovable blobs.