Headhunter: Redemption

Headhunter: Repetition

Tags: Categories: PS2 Reviews, Reviews

Posted by David Hinkle on Nov 5th, 2004

Title Players
Headhunter: Redemption (title page) 1
Developer Publisher Genre Online
Action No

Did you know this game is actually a sequel? Back in the days of the Dreamcast(yeah…way back then), the original Headhunter was released in Europe, and sadly never hit U.S. shores until it was ported over to the PS2 in 2002 (via Acclaim). 2 years later, Sega and Amuze decide to team up once again and finally produce a sequel. Sadly, it isn’t really a worthy one most of the time.


I say most of the time because every now and then a bit of sunshine will break through the clouds, so to speak. It’s at these times, during some plot points and firefights, that Redemption really feels like a good time. These times get more rare the more you play along, however, until they are pretty nonexistent. I’d hate to sit here and bash apart this title because frankly, I really liked the first game, but the Reviewer’s Code makes this impossible. So, we’ll start at the story.


20 years after the first game we find Jack to still be a Headhunter, except now he’s an alcoholic who has gone for a buzzcut and aged fairly well. If you played the last game then you’d know at the end Biotech was destroyed, yet many people had become infected with the Bloody Mary virus nonetheless. You’d also know that Jack ends up hooking up with Angela, and it seems as though they are going to be together for the rest of their lives. Well, we learn that isn’t the case, as Jack seems to be alone at the outset of the game (later on learn of their divorce). As if that wasn’t enough, we also learn fairly quickly that a massive earthquake has wiped out nearly everyone, leaving only two cities in its wake: Above and Below. In Above, nothing but glass skyscrapers and rich folk live while Below is filled with all the convicts from Above and laborers that make Above run. If you’re lost then just think Mad Max and the Thunderdome’s Barter Town. Don’t be scared off though if you’ve never played the first game, it isn’t mandatory, just helps to tie the chronological storyline together.


The biggest problem I had with this game was the other main character Leeza. Seems somewhere in Jack’s past, while working, he finds a father about to kill his daughter. Killing the father, Jack ends up saving the daughter. Cut right back to the present, and Jack is on a call for an attempted break in at an industrial building. Guess who it is? No, it isn’t the Hamburglar, it’s the same girl. We come to know her as Leeza X and soon come to hate her as ‘the stupid girl who won’t shut her dumb trap.’ At least I did anyway. Stupid is probably the understatement of the century, as even at times of loading it hurt me to even think there might POSSIBLY be a cutscene involving her. Every synonym that ejects from her mouth is like nails scraping on a chalkboard. Jack sounds like a mix between Dirty Harry and Rob Zombie. What else would you expect from a man in his line of work for so long though?


Well, as you could imagine this line of work calls for a lot of gunplay, and I must say it’s pretty fun most of the time. Basically, you use the R1 button to lock onto enemies, where soon after a white reticle will show bouncing about the enemy, and press X to shoot, using the right analog stick to switch between targets. The problem with that setup is when firing at multiple targets. Pushing the right analog stick to the right will switch your aim to any individuals on the right, but if there is noone there it will cause you to do a 180 degree spin, totally ruining your day. Believe me, I died many a time this way. Using L2 will let you lean up against walls, allowing you to peak out the edges and aim at your foes, popping out to fire. This is pretty much mandatory if you wish to survive, as standing out in the open is suicide.


That isn’t the only function of the L2 button however. Aside from its use for wall-hugging, L2 also let’s you walk stealthily. Although it’s a lot slower, it allows you to approach your enemies undetected and kill them silently. While a nice touch, you’ll hardly ever use it as most everything is straight up gunfights. Also at times while walking in this matter you will be sucked into a wall, causing the camera to jerk around away from where you were approaching and zoom in on you. As if that isn’t enough, sometimes it just plain doesn’t work. Several situations of me sneaking up to the back of an enemy to stealthily kill him resulted in him turning around when I was only inches, shooting me in the face. Believe me, if it was me mucking something up I’d know it.


As far as things in the game other than shooting and crappy camera work, there are what I affectionately call ‘Gopher Puzzles.’ Upon your travels in the game, you’ll stumble upon locked doors, broken keypads, and other interactive objects missing something. Then, you have to comb the rest of the area that is open to you to find this thing that is needed to progress. Much like the times when you tried to help your dad or uncle to fix something when you were a kid, you’re sent to retrieve vital objects. While it’s a nice break from all the shooting, it gets old quick. They really could’ve stood to put a bit more diversity here. Before you can do any of this however, you first have to scan.


Scanning is performed with your super-advanced sunglasses of the future called IRIS. This controls your targeting, computer interface, and scanning. When you scan an object it gives you all the vital info on it. While reading this it must seem like this is a positive addition, frankly it’s just a waste of time. You’ll approach a variety of roadblocks during the game, and each time you’ll need to scan in order to advance, whether you know what you need to do or not. If Redemption were real life, then I’d need to scan my car door, my set of keys, and my driver’s license just to get into my car.


I must say though that Redemption looks great. Amuze and Sega really did a great job on the character models, with great textures and fluid movements. All the outside cutscenes look good and establish a nice corporate-ran society of the future. Below also looks as you’d expect, gritty and industrial. Out in the field though can become rather bland. You’ll be running down a lot of long hallways. That isn’t the shining quality in the game, however.


The A.I. is rather smart and adaptable. On 1-on-1 fights, the computer will take cover, dive, and move around to evade your wrath. In situations where they outnumber you, they’ll incorporate a lot of modern combat theory. If they have you cornered they’ll try their best to flank you, even providing supressing fire. Also, if you pause from your assault, they’ll pop out of their cover and start firing on you while they advance in a relentless fashion. This makes for every skirmish to be both highly challenging and rewarding.


The sound in game does a good job of letting you know when to get down to brass tacks and kick some butt. Whenever it gets ambient, you can be rest assured all the baddies are gone. The soundtrack is pretty light, as you won’t hear too much music other than during the gunplay. As far as the sound effects go, they’re nice. Gun shots sound good as well as the sound of empty shells hitting the ground.

As a total package, Headhunter: Redemption is a solid action title with some technical flaws and horrible voicework. If these things seem like something that wouldn’t bother you much, then you should be able to enjoy the frenzied action and sci-fi storyline. As a sequel, Redemption isn’t as good as the original, but finds little pockets of excitement to keep you in. That is, until the next cutscene.

What Works Score
+ Graphics
+ Action
+ Artificial Intelligence 		6.5
What Doesn't
- Camera
- Leeza
- Lackluster puzzles
- So much scanning
- Leeza
Under the Shrink-wrap
If you like futuristic, 3rd person Sci-fi games where you don't have to memorize a lot of different commands, and scanning stuff, then you might dig this. I would reccomend a rental, because the first time Leeza opens her mouth she is bound to put a few people off.
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