Go Fanboy - Everyone Has a Favorite

At the heart of every epic piece of entertainment there is a climax, a moving together of all the plot points to one central theme. The climax and theme of the Dreamcast could be summed up with these immortal words “Do not go gentle into that good night.”

Some complain that the Dreamcast is dying a slow death from canceled games and failed translations. However, in this era of the Internet and imports, the DC is not just an American system but a world wide system and if you treat it as such you will find that the DC’s last year has been its best. Therefore, without pause I give you what may be finest hour for the Sega Dreamcast: Headhunter.

Headhunter begins in the future, weaving a tale of organized crime, organ donation, and drug cartels. You play as Jack Wade - a down on his luck, suffering from amnesia - Headhunter who has lost his top spot as hunter extraordinaire right along with important details about his past. Has this story been done before? Yes. However, it has never been done in game form with such grace as it is accomplished in Headhunter. I do mean never.

Visuals:: Graphically this game is phenomenal. It eclipses any other game on the Dreamcast and easily meets the amazement factor of its peer Shenmue 2. When you first begin playing the game, you are introduced to the engines excellent handling of models, its ability to texture objects to insane levels, and an astounding display of lip synching (something that many games still can’t seem to do right). Better yet, once you arrive at your base of operations, I dare anyone to say that they are not stunned by the surroundings. The DC is pushed far past the limit in texturing and performance. The home base is flat out stunning if not a bit small. Your home base is complete with a weight room (though you can’t really utilize it) a pool outside, and a car show room in the basement. Little details stand out. Things such as paintings on walls, a wet bar, home furnishings that actually look like furniture and not cardboard cutouts with blankets hanging over them are all testimonies to the detail in Headhunter. The outdoor environments are detailed as well. Though the cars and buildings in Headhunter could do with a bit more texture detail, they are to be viewed while zipping by on your sport-bike at 100 miles an hour and for that, they excel.

Gameplay/Control:: The story is presented in three ways, all molded into one fine game. The first is the typical third person view, whether in the adventure scenes or riding your sport-bike. While in third person view and adventuring, the game is set up somewhat like Metal Gear Solid for the PSX and PS2. In fact, if controls were books, this would be downright plagiarism. Is this blatant copying a bad thing? No way! I can think of many games that Headhunter could mimic that would leave it in far worse shape. While adventuring you can perform the normal movements; running, rolls, sneaking along walls, popping off the walls and shooting others, all the good things games allow us to do without parents or police becoming involved. All these moves are taught to you in the opening segments of the game as you are instructed in the Leila center. This is the Headhunter training facility; a virtual reality center that allows you to attain higher and higher Headhunter licenses by completing progressively harder tasks. Each new license opens new weaponry as well and eventually, new city sections. While moving about the detailed interiors of decrepit buildings, sewers and malls rife with bad guys, you can employ the excellently chosen arsenal. The arsenal includes stunners, handguns, shotguns, motion sensitive bombs, grenades, and even an excellent neck-break for times when stealth is called for. The weapons add a great deal of strategy to the game, as you explore different ways to take out your enemies. You are also given an unlimited amount of coins, noisemakers, to distract or attract bad guys. You can spend many hours employing different methods of taking out your enemies. Drop a motion sensing mine in a corner and once it takes out the first enemy back away and let them fall into your trap. On the other hand, toss a noise-making coin into a doorway and watch the bad guys flood the room then toss in a grenade or two. It is great fun, made even more so by the computers A.I. Ruthless is an understatement. When these guys smell blood, they come at you with a lead vengeance, and rarely miss.

This carnage and fun would never happen if you could not get to where you needed to go of course. That is where the sport-bike comes in. Every single place in the Headhunter world is available via the sport-bike. The sense of realism is amazing when you drive to a location, get off, finish your tasks, and then jump back on the bike and drive home for the day. Yes, it has been done before, GTA3 allows just the same thing, but for some reason the way Headhunter handles it just seems more interesting, though the load times can detract. All your city driving is done with an excellent control scheme for the bike as well. I have heard some complaints about the sport-bike’s handling. After many hours of playing, I believe that those who mistakenly treat the sport-bike like any other racing vehicle in a game are the ones who will complain. Realize that this is a two-wheeled machine and when its front wheel is not on the ground, you cannot steer it! Once that fine detail is accepted, the sport-bike is an exhilarating ride, and handles like a dream as you attain the higher speeds.

The other ways that this game is presented are normal cut-scenes and news broadcasts. Both show an attention to quality and illustrate that the developers really spent some time on the game. The cut-scene models are well done with some of the best lip-synchs and voice acting I have heard in a game. Of special mention are Jack Wade and his boss. Whoever voice acts the gruff old boss is a perfect fit for the role. His rough father-like attitude and the slight twang in his voice leave just the right impression of a man who is both friend and mentor. As for Jack Wade, the main character, he is a cross between a young Clint Eastwood, and the character Tom Cruise plays in the Mission Impossible movies. The newscasts further the main plot of the story or add irrelevant details to world events. They hold a special place in my heart as they remind me, forcibly, of the hilarious newscasts in the movie Robo-Cop. They are just a bit over the top but fit so well into the game world that it’s a pleasure to watch each one.

Now on to what could be my favorite part of the game and will perhaps draw some criticism from others. Aurally, I think that this game is hands down one of the best games on the DC. The music, from the main title screen on, fits the game so well that it is a shame at least some of it is not on a sound track somewhere. At times melodic and at other times rather alternative sounding, each music selection is tied into its area so well that it really helped immerse me in the game. So much in fact, that I forgot the music was playing sometimes. To me, music should not interfere with the game to be good, but instead lend itself to the game so that it, along with graphics and story, tell a larger tale.

Audio:: The sound effects are also excellent in the game. Though the sport-bike seems a bit…eh muted, the shotgun blasts, cries for help, afore mentioned voice acting, and even the sound of rain and wind are all pumped out of the DC with amazing clarity. Great stuff.

Overall:: One must review a game as a form of entertainment. Did it entertain and how? To give a game a rating of 10 it must entertain as much as possible on the current hardware. That explains Headhunter perfectly. It is entertainment without equal in story, fun and presentation. Sure there are places where the graphics aren’t as good as some other game, or the music is not as perfect, but Headhunter thrusts every bit of gaming goodness it offers into one meaty package. It wrapped me up from the first moment I plugged it in to the very second I finished it. Not once was I jarred out of the game world, except bathroom breaks and the occasional scrub down, nor did I see even one thing that I would have changed with either the story or its presentation. Alas, this game will be reviewed and critiqued right alongside another major game: Metal Gear for the PS2. After having finished that game, I can only offer this. While both games are excellent, Headhunter does more with less (development money), plays much longer, has a fresher plot, and potentially costs less to purchase. I can see no faults with finding this game at your local importer or on the Internet and getting your hands on it. I did, and as of tonight, I will be playing it again. A perfect 10 has never before been so deserved.

Score:: 10/10