Okay, adventure game fans, we can no longer complain that there
are no adventure games on consoles. Why? Disaster Report is here.

Right off the bat, I’m
going to compare this game to another console adventure, Prisoner
of War for the X-Box. Both start with
great ideas, and both use a real-time 3D world that looks like an
action game, but is an adventure game instead.

Prisoner of War had you attempting to escape from a series of German
interrment camps during WWII. Very good, solid idea. Unfortunately,
that game was done in by many factors, from bad graphics to puzzling
objectives to tedious trial-and-error gameplay that stopped being
fun real quick.

Disaster Report fares
much better. Its killer idea is simple: what if you were in a major
city which was experiencing aftershocks from
a cataclysmic earthquake? This is such a great idea I can’t
believe it hasn’t been done before.

The story takes place
in Capital City, which is a man-made island in the Pacific Ocean.
You play Keith Helm, budding young reporter
who’s on the commuter train heading in to report for his new
job as reporter for the Capital City Town Crier newspaper. Unfortunately,
right as he’s crossing the enormous bridge connecting Airport
Island with the main city island, The Big One happens. Buildings
crumble, urban services fail, and Keith is suddenly on his own!

The game is simply Keith’s endeavors to reach safe ground.
The exciting opening takes place on the huge bridge (which is quite
reminiscent of San Francisco’s Bay Bridge). The commuter train
is totaled and Keith has to make his way across the teetering remains
of the vast bridge. Maddingly, he sees a rescue helicopter close
by, but it cannot reach him. At least it drops a backpack of supplies
for him – and this backpack becomes your inventory. (Nicely
done!)

What follows is basically Bad
Mojo in 3D. Through a series of scenarios
connected by cutscenes, you must navigate the treacherous , crippled
landscape of the city without getting caught under a falling overpass
or dying of dehydration.

Dying of dehydration?
Oh, I haven’t mentioned that? Well,
in this game you’ve got to keep yourself hydrated. In what
seems like an astonishing stroke of luck, nearly every exposed outdoor
public water fountain in the city is still functional! It’s
vital that you have Keith drink every chance he gets. He’s
actually got a hydration meter that goes down as you exert yourself.
Let the meter get too low and it starts sucking up your life energy,
and if you’re not careful, Keith will drop dead.

The water fountains are
also the only places where you can save the game. Okay, everyone,
calm down. Like you, I hate the convention
of limited save spots as much as any red-blooded adventure gamer.
Trust me on this, however, there are many, many water fountains in
this game. It’s not that big a problem. Plus you can fill up
bottles of water as well, to help extend Keith’s endurance
until the next fountain. I actually found the limitation of ten save
slots more of a hindrance than the “save only at water fountains” feature.

For the most part, the
controls in the game work pretty well. There are a few points when
something Keith needs to do is pretty tricky,
and requires several tries. This can get a bit frustrating at times,
as a failed jump or grab can cost you health points. But health,
like water, is pretty easy to replenish, so this isn’t a huge
problem.

Another challenge is the
fact that you have a limited inventory. Frequently you’ll have to make an agonizing decision: extra
water bottle or more health-replenishing gauze bandages? A crowbar
or a can of beans? Flares or Fritos? Who knows what you’ll
need?

There’s also interesting character interaction in the game.
Early on, you meet a girl named Karen, who joins forces with you.
You interact with other characters along the way, and are frequently
given choices (share precious water or not? slow down your progress
to help or not?) that actually affect the game’s story.

There’s even a point
in the game when you have to choose between Karen and another character,
resulting in a significant game branch.

Which brings us to that magic word, REPLAYABILITY. How many times
have we heard the criticism of adventure games that they have no
replay value? Well, Disaster Report is the rare exception.

I have only two major
criticisms of the game. First of all, there are times when it’s just not very clear where you should go
or what you should do next. This can be a problem for an impatient
sort (like me), but if you’re an assiduous explorer, this probably
won’t be a problem for you.

Secondly, the game is
just not attractive. These days the bar for game graphics is set
extremely high, an on a next-generation console
like the Playstation 2, there’s no real excuse for the blah
visuals that make up the world of Disaster Report.

Still, that shouldn’t
keep you from giving this unusual and intriguing adventure a try.

Final Grade: B

System Requirements:

• PS2
• memory card

This
review is copyright Ray Ivey and Just Adventure and
may not be republished elsewhere without the express written consent
of the author. Republication of said review must also contain a link
back to Just Adventure.