Time to try and actually beat this game.

As a kid, I always saw this game come up on lists of GameCube hidden gems. It looked right up my alley, so imagine my excitement when I nabbed a copy from GameStop for only $3. Fast forward like 15 years and I still haven't played more than a few levels (though I have tried the multiplayer a few times and remember enjoying it).

Today, I fired the game up and beat the first couple of levels. Love the personality and presentation right off the bat, and the run-and-gun shooting seems solid enough. Looking forward to seeing how the arsenal expands as the game goes on.

Holy cow this is bad. Soulless Overcooked clone. Half-baked and a crappy recipe to boot. Immediate retire.

The interlocking objectives are so cool. Area A had too many reinforcements, so I went to Area C and blew up bridges on a key supply route. Too many soldiers in Area B, so I blew up a power line in Area A and turned Area B into a dark stealth area. The game’s objectives flow beautifully.

Playing on the third highest difficulty. Game is tough but rewarding. Really forces you to use the tactical commands to your advantage

two matches of Big Team heavies. fun as usual. 58 points total and like 26 deaths

Shooting is a little wonky. The tactical elements are really well done, though!

Played a bit online with my sisters. Fun stuff. Love the chaos in coordination

One round of trios No Build. Came in fourth. Some fun firefights. Not horrible

Standard rounds of customs. Lots of sniping. Good fun as always

I can’t decide if the wonky driving physics and cascading explosions are hilarious fun or a hindrance.

Did a few side objectives and then finished up the first major boss level. Pretty fun. The big, open level loaded with soldiers, tanks, and choppers forced me to be resourceful and creative. I finished up the level by frantically calling in an RPG supply drop while being slowly cornered by two choppers. Ended up shooting both down with rockets without the benefit of any lock-on or anything. Very satisfying

Played the first five levels co-op with my sisters.

I have seen Hell.

Played another hour or so. I’m getting into the thick of the game a bit more. Enjoying the game’s willingness to let you create your own approach, even if the gameplay itself is fairly limited and repetitive. There’s something enjoyable about circumventing the game’s intended route for a mission by clunkily stealing a helicopter or calling in a sniper airdrop.

On a separate note, the world design is pretty bland so far. Not surprising for an early open world game on limited hardware, but the game could have used more recognizable landmarks and exciting environments.

Finished the last two chapters. i went buffoon mode and lost three characters in the last hour. Forgive me, teens

Began the game. Seems like dumb PS2-era fun

Coming close to the end. This session got me good.

Played online slayer for an hour or so. Fun as always. Got stomped every game in BTB for some reason

- customs sesh. sniper domination
- played some online and mostly played pretty well. Highlight was a 26-6 game of BTB