Run Like Hell – PS2 – Review

I have to admit that I am
a true follower and admirer of the survival-horror genre and there have been
enough titles in this genre that have stolen my heart completely.  So it was
with great interest that I was anxiously waiting for the arrival of a sci-fi
survival-horror game known as Run Like Hell way back when it was first announced
several months ago.  The result is game that is a shadow of what could have been
something so much better.

Gamers assume the role of
Captain Nicholas Conner who is a decorated war hero who has been forced to spend
the rest of his military commission keeping an eye on the Border Worlds in a
space station.  All is not bad for Captain Conner, though, because he likes the
people around him and he plans to marry his fiancé, Doctor Samantha Reilly.
However, on his way back from a routine inspection in outer space, he returns to
the station to find out a startling realization–everyone is either dead or
missing.

Captain Conner quickly
finds out that the cause of this death and destruction is the work of alien
invaders that have somehow infected the station with its presence.  The aliens
range from the savage cutters to the hulking Brutes and interestingly enough the
aliens also jump out of pulsing mass that acts as a transportation portal.
Luckily, Conner is not alone . . . scattered throughout the station are
survivors that aid him.

The controls in Run Like
Hell are quite atrocious and this is mostly due to the poor management of the
directional controls and the camera angles.  Those gamers familiar with the
Resident Evil games will find the controls somewhat similar only far more
confusing when it comes to directing Conner through narrow passages or when he
makes quick turns around a corner.  To make matters worse, the camera
occasionally does not let you see an enemy that just happens to be not too far
in front of you.

Killing aliens is easy,
though, and with a healthy supply of arsenals such as shotguns and assault
rifles and bolt throwers, you’ll never run out of means to eliminate them.  The
only bad thing is that instead of helping you, the targeting system is so
awkward that it does more harm than good.  Still, with a lot of patience and
plenty of practice, the fighting mechanics are not that difficult to master.

The game does try to keep
from being just another running and shooting title and scattered throughout the
game are several mini games that are just timed button pushing puzzles–still
this is much appreciated.  The puzzles are also pretty good and solving them
isn’t hard at all.  Gamers will find themselves luring aliens into a
gravitational experiment room where the machine will kill it.

Visually, Run Like Hell is
not a very good-looking game at all and this is a major disappointment since the
alien threat in this game looks absolutely terrifying during cut scenes.  One of
the problems with the graphics is that the in-game character models and many of
the corridors found throughout the station are rather too plain.  The special
effects such as gunfire or the alien’s dissolving in their own blood is drab, as
well.  However, the major problem is that there are a number of bugs that affect
the visuals.  For instance, moving the camera view just a little while standing
next to a character turn that character in question into a “ghost”–in other
words, you can see right through a person.

The sound effects in the
game also disappoint and that is mostly due to the fact that alien screams and
the muffled blast of your gun becomes repetitive.  Yet all is not bad in this
front, though.  The loud thumping sounds of the bigger Brute alien running after
you are enough to send chills down any gamers’ spine.  There is also excellent
voice acting done by a professional cast of actors which include Lance Henriksen
(“Aliens“), Kate Mulgrew (“Star Trek: Voyager”), Brad Dourif  (“The Exorcist 3”)
and Michael Ironside (“Starship Troopers”) among others.  

Run Like Hell is the kind
of game that would have been an unforgettable sci-fi survival-horror title but,
unfortunately, it was rushed out before its defects have been worked out.  There
really isn’t an excuse to play this game and I recommend that people turn to a
better-paced and more polished PS2 survival-horror title like The Thing.

#Reviewer’s Scoring Details

Gameplay: 5.0
Sadly, the controls are not as
well-thought out and you cannot move around smoothly or easily switch targets
during fights.  Gamers will find it something of an annoyance when Conner cannot
do something as simple as smoothly making a quick turn around a sharp corner.
The make matters worse, the camera pulls away when you do make a quick turn and
put you face-to-face with an alien and not even know it until the creature
strikes. 

You can also modify your
weapons using several types of modification chips that can increase the damage
done, add more ammunition capacity or allow the weapon to fire more bullets per
shot.  Add that to the list of weaponry and you are all set.  And there are
times when you can control your own robots to lure unsuspecting aliens into a
trap.   

Graphics: 5.9
Unfortunately the visuals also add
to the already long list of shortcomings found in this game.  The characters and
the surroundings plain to look at and that is a shame, really, considering that
there is a strong story and plenty of interesting characters to meet and areas
to explore.  The aliens are also something of a treat to go up against since
their appearance is both startlingly frightful to look at.

The flash of the muzzle of
your gun when you fire is not as impressive as it should look in a game that is
inspired by the Aliens movie.  And riddling an alien enemy with bullets is
sometimes not seen at all thanks to the awful camera views.  Still, there is not
much to look at in terms of effects so gamers are not missing much.

Sound: 6.0
It is good to see a game that
supports Dolby Surround sound and this is the game that would have sounded
spectacular with the perfect sound system except that the sound effects are
awfully dull.  A game like this would have faired better with more details to
its sound but what we hear in this game is the same repetitive alien hisses and
howls and even the weapons do not sound so impressive during the heaviest of
battles.

The score is a highlight,
of sorts, and sets the mood nicely and fluidly in a cinematic fashion. A boss
fight suddenly comes to life with killer tracks from the band Breaking Benjamin,
putting gamers in a you’re-playing-a-movie mood.  Adding to this is superb voice
acting work from big-name actors of the likes of Kate Mulgrew and Lance
Henriksen.

Difficulty: Medium
Aside from the awful controls that
can play against you, the game’s targeting system makes fighting a bit difficult
. . . especially when you’re up against three of them at once.  The creature
intelligence varies from cutter to Brute but neither one is really all that
bright since cutters can get stuck between crates of corners.  And the
door-opening puzzles aren’t really hard thanks to all the information you store
in your journal.

Concept: 6.0
Run Like Hell is not a very original
idea but the story and characters are actually interesting enough care about.
Most of what you see in this game have been drawn out from Aliens and Resident
Evil and combating the alien threat is done by extreme force.  It’s also good to
see that the makers at least tried to break away from the typical shoot-them-up
style and add several mini games spread throughout the game in the same way the
Xbox’s Dead To Rights has done for its third-person shooter.  There are even
chases similar to those seen in Shenmue where you have to press a certain button
in time to jump or duck.

Overall: 5.0
While Run Like Hell plays in the
same field as the Resident Evil games, the overall rushed product was in dire
need of some serious polishing before it was released.  Unfortunately, all the
game’s faults take away from the experience of what could have been a really
entertaining survival-horror game with plenty of action and scares.  Gamers
should stay clear of this one completely.