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Rent before you buy

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 27 / 28
Date: February 10, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game was not my cup of tea. I quickly got bored within 15 minutes of playing this game. Yes, the graphics are amazing (as advertised) but I found the gameplay shallow and plain boring. The good thing is that the levels are huge and filled with pedestrians, carts, buildings and traffic. Unfortunately, due to the timed mission-driven nature of the game, you never get to fully explore (which is what made GTA3 so amazing) the city. Also, unlike GTA3, you are not free to get out of your car and roam about. The basic gameplay is to crash into enemy cars/trucks/carts/etc. Surprisingly, the car physics is more sim than arcade. Personally I would have much prefered racing the streets of Hong Kong against other cars rather than chasing bad guys so I can ram them to death.

I got pretty excited about this game 2 months ago when I saw a preview video but it's been a disappointment. I strongly recommend a rental before shelling out $50.

Great graphics, but as for the game and game play...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 20 / 29
Date: February 14, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Yes, the graphics on this game are outstanding, just about everything looks to scale and realistic, but as for the rest of the game, there could be some improvements. First off, there is no free roam mode, so you can't just choose a car and drive rampant through the city, you HAVE to choose a mission. This really retracts from the replay value of the game.

Second, once you've hit a pedestrian car a few times, it blinks and then all of a sudden it disappears!!?? I also don't like the fact that there are no foot missions in the game, you're stuck in your car the whole time. That would have made a vast improvment for the game.

Actually, one of the few good things of the game is that it's quite fun to race around at high speed and ram into not only the enemy cars, but the innocent pedestrian cars, especially the buses. When you ram into a bus, the people come running out and scatter, which is quite funny. It's also a blast to drive along the sidewalk and watch the people run and jump to get out of your way.

While the game has outstanding visuals, it still has it's (many) flaws. I didn't list them all because I'm sure you have stoped reading this already and clicked on the "No" button for the "Has this review helped you". 'Nuff said. Later

Maybe I'm the first to review this after its release....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 14 / 21
Date: February 07, 2002
Author: Amazon User

OK, I just picked up a copy at EBWorld when I was at the mall yesterday...They had just received their shipment and didn't even have it on display yet.

Well, here's my short review...You start out looking at some cool character animations (they are modeled on Japanese animations, but speak English only). After the first cut scene, you get right into the driver's seat. Doesn't take too long to get the hang of it. The graphics are amazing...there are really two types of display modes for the driving scenes. The real time driving is fluid and has a nice 3D look with smooth blended colors. You can run over anything including people (there is no gore - if some unfortunate old lady gets in front of your car...well she just flashes and then disappears - but the game moves so fast that you don't have time to really notice). Your object is to keep bumping into the enemy cars until they blow up (they have little health meters next to them - when its all gone they explode). The driving is fun, and you feel pretty powerful zooming through barricades, post office boxes, etc while keeping an eye on the visual map to see where the enemies are going. They make some quick unexpected turns through parks and side streets. I think one of the coolest effects in the game is after you finish a mission...you have the option to watch in replay mode your entire combat scene...every turn you took, every hit you made, every crash...the graphics are incredible in this mode...it will show your car at different camera angles sometimes like blended watercolors, sometimes black and white sketches, etc. You have to see it.

I really like this game and it is starting to show some of the power of the XBOX, expecially with the high frame rates...so smooth. I will be interested in hearing what PS2 fans think of this game ...so many people have been bashing the Xbox...give it a chance...when the first generation PS2 games came out...they weren't as good as the new ones being released today.

The only thing I think could be improved is the crashing into enemy cars. It would be cool to see more parts blow off of them as you hit them. The game is a little like a demolition derby in the downtown city streets, but I think it would be more satisfying if you saw the enemy cars lose bumpers, doors, etc. You can hit the cars at any angle, but most of the time, since you are in hot pursuit, you are hitting them from behind, rear ending them.

I think this game has high replay value, especially with all the missions available. Sure it would be great to have a 2 player fight mode, but maybe in future versions we'll get a taste of that.

Overall, I think the graphics are a 5, and the gameplay a 4++.

Super Runabout for the XBOX

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: February 25, 2002
Author: Amazon User

On a totally aesthetic level, you'd be hard-pressed to find a prettier game on ANY gaming system. The XBOX's much-touted GPU really shows its stuff off in Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions with real-time reflections, bump-mapping everywhere and intense city streets. Never before have the streets of Hong Kong been modeled in such detail! Much of what you see can be demolished, from the Dim Sum stands, to fences, to oncoming traffic! Watching the people running for their lives in the streets is both fun and realistic! You can't run them over though.

Now that I've gotten the graphics out of the way, let me explain how the game plays. Sadly, playability-wise, Wreckless really doesn't hold a candle to its beautful graphics. Why you ask? Because it's just a Super Runabout (Sega Dreamcast) clone with far better graphics and effects. You're basically given a series of missions to complete (mostly ramming enemy vehicles until their energy bar runs out)with a variety of cars that seem to handle like they were constructed out of tin foil. It's painfully easy to spin out or flip over, which is bad news since all the missions are timed. Sometimes a legitimate hit on a Yakuza car will send you flipping around, bouncing off innocent cars in the traffic in a chain-reaction method, costing you both time and your sanity. If you flip your car over, be prepared to lose several seconds while the game gives you a new car. Also, the game clock keeps ticking while you're in an elevator or taking snapshots...these are basically cut scenes in which you have no control, yet you still lose time! Bad game design!! Sometimes the actual goal of the mission is rather vague and relies too much on trial and error...this is most evident in the stage where you have to take out 4 Dim Sum stands going only by 4 camera snapshots and a pretty useless hot/cold tracking meter. Considering that the city you're driving in is pretty large, this is by no means an easy task. It seems like you can play the same missions over again and wind up with different results...luck has a lot to do with your success in the game. The AI is not very forgiving and the lucky aspect just reeks of poor game design.

Having trouble with a particular mission? Too bad. You're going to have to play through it over and over until it's beaten! There's no way to skip any of the tough missions.

Wreckless has been highly praised by practically every game magazine I've read and I am wondering why this is. The nice graphics? The special effects? There's definitely nothing new in this game and I find it to be a bit on the frustrating side. Am I sorry for buying it? Not at all...it's fun for a mindless gaming session, but will I be bothered to play through it over and over again to finally beat it? Probably not.

Note to developers...this is a prime example of "pretty graphics and eye candy do not make a great game...gameplay is the all important aspect of any video game."

A let down

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: March 10, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Of all the post-release Xbox games to come out, this is the one that I (and probably everyone else) have looked forward to the most. I bought it without a second thought when I finally saw it on the rack at the store.

Unfortunately I didn't have the review that I am writing now to give me a second thought. Perhaps this will help you.

Let me start with what is great about the game. No doubt about it the graphics are it. They are absolutely just as amazing as all the hype has made them out to be. And the replays... The replays are designed so well that combined with the graphics you could be fooled into thinking you are watching a care chase from your favorite action movie. Unfortunately that's about all the game does really well.

What the game does poorly is appeal to non-hardcore gamers. This game is not for the casual gamer. This game is hard. It's challenging because the missions are tough but difficulty in controlling your vehicle increases the difficulty tenfold. What's really frustrating is you have a vehicle that can crash through just about anything in the game from mailboxes to city buses but if you touch a wall your car sticks to it like glue. The streets are often extremely narrow and intersections are usually not noticable until you've already passed them. This makes navigating the city an agrivating experience most of the time.

Hardcore gamers may be able to beat all the missions (20 in all) but their complaint will more likely be that the game is too short (each mission takes aproximately two minutes to complete). Casual gamers will find much more longevity in the game as they play the same mission over and over again until they finally put the game away and never play again.

This is one of those games that you want to like so bad it hurts. The concept is already proven in the classic and extremely underappreciated Dreamcast game Super Runabout (which has inferior graphics but superior gameplay), but the execution in this game is really lacking.

Buy this game if you want something to show off your Xbox's graphical capabilities. Even the most stubborn Playstation loyalist will have to admit that there is no way in hell that the PS2 could ever look near this good. Or buy this game if you are a hardcore gamer who is up to the challenge. You'll definately like the game much more if you can actually complete the missions.

Action, Action, and (you guessed it) more action.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: February 11, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is the second title I bought for my XBOX and I did buy it before I played it. It was a shot in the dark, but I'd heard a lot about this game before its release and I just had to have it. The game is an all out blast to play. I mean really, how can you not like a game that lets you plow through crowded city-streets, breaking anything that gets in your way. It's awesome, the graphics are amazing and stuff breaks, shatters, and blows up real nice. The ability to watch it all over in replay, is also a nice feature. You're given a wide variety of "Crazy Taxi-like" missions and you can play as either a couple of ditzy cops or a couple of idiot spies. Either way you choose, you're gonna have fun. Another great feature is the sense of speed that you get as you race down the streets.

On the downside, the music is pretty weak. It's pretty much a generic-techno score and if that's your thing, more power to ya. It's just not my bag. I prefer to rip my own soundtracks.

The voice acting is pretty shoddy and I really didn't care about the ridiculous storyline. This one's all about the action and there is PLENTY of that and then some. There is also some high-replay potential here.

With those few complaints aside, it's a solid buy. If anything, this should keep gamers happy until Grand Theft Auto 3 hits the box.

Good looking and mildly entertaining

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: November 23, 2004
Author: Amazon User

There isn't much to this game, you drive around the hit things with your car. Sort of an outdated concept not really worthy of Xbox marketing. The graphics and game ambience is great. There are a lot of reviews that try and compare to Grand Theft Auto (GTA), that is not a fair comparison. GTA is a different game, also much more fun. A fair comparision is Driver, but again, Driver is more fun as there are more game options. What Wreckless lacks is alternate forms of game play. Some people tire of the mission based game and want to free roam or do other missions. This game would have been great to have free roam as there are great levels, yet no time to do any of them.

brill game must have for anybody

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: July 08, 2004
Author: Amazon User

If you like driving cars and doing missions with them then this is a must have for you. This game is also easy, well it was for me.
The game is stunning some of the missions you get to just smash into cars and having fun.
This game is just fun and I recommend it for anybody, I just think it is a must have, it is also very fun and entertaining

Great Action Racing game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: February 14, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions is the Xbox's first high-suspense, high-speed, and high-impact mission based driving game. You find yourself behind the wheel in a wild ride through the streets of Hong Kong. The crowded streets of Hong Kong will provide you with countless objects to smash into and pedestrians to send running from the streets!

Gameplay:
Wreckless takes place in Hong Kong where you will have a choice between playing through 2 roles. Each one having its own unique story based on the main storyline of the game. On one side of the coin you are a female member of an elite anti-Yakuza squad taking on the vicious mafia after they interrupt a mid-afternoon break. On the flip side of that same coin, you are a high-level secret agent trying to uncover corruption between the mafia and the cops. Each role gives you 10 unique missions that you will face. Both also start out with 2 available cars and you will unlock new vehicles as you complete various missions. Each role also has 7 cars to choose from when it's all said and done, and each car offers different handling and abilities.

During missions you will find yourself chasing Yakuza transport cars, rescuing a trapped police captain, smashing mobster cars to escape crime scenes, and capturing a mafia boss before he escapes a helicopter just to name a few. Each mission is unique in design and contains goals that you must achieve, but the bottom line is pretty straight forward. Smash everything and anything in sight.

Graphics
If you want to see how well the Xbox can recreate reality, check out Wreckless. The game's graphics are jaw-dropping with such detail that you will feel like you are watching news footage while enjoying a replay of your previous mission. The replays are so enjoyable that you will have the ability to save them for later viewing. The replays are even a bit more stylish than you would expect with several `artistic' effects that add to their value. Some replay cameras seem to simulate a news helicopter's viewpoint, while others apply fancy special effects like negative video, or a black and white mode.

Every bit of the environment is rendered very nicely and textures and lighting are dead on. The cars look interesting and have real-time damage as you play through the missions. Bits and pieces of your car will become damaged and even fall off while you take on hits and impact others. Your doors will fall off, bumpers will collapse, and windows will shatter. However, your car will always run and never stop. Not even when you flip over after falling off a high-way overpass onto the pavement below. Sometimes the `flip back' time to readjust the car is a bit slow and you will loose valuable time, but you shouldn't have flipped in the first place.

There is a slight `draw-in' that you may see in the distance, but it's nothing that takes anything away from the game's fast paced action. To be honest, you really shouldn't have time to sit back and gaze off into the horizon, so you needn't worry about it. Framerate is solid, and overall the graphics are extremely impressive.
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Bottom Line:
Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions is about as much fun as I have had playing the Xbox since the first day I got it. It is an absolute blast buzzing down busy streets with no worries of hitting whatever ends up on your hood. Watching as neon signs, Dim Sum carts, and more are obliterated before your very eyes is quite exciting, and you don't even have to turn in a report to your insurance company. Is Wreckless worth a buy? Had there been a free-roaming mode or a multiplayer mode I would have said without a doubt. The game's missions are interesting enough to warrant playing through it once, but once you complete the game you will most likely be finished with it until you choose to pick it up a month or so later. The game shouldn't take you too long to work through either, so getting through all 20 missions should prove to be an average challenge. If you are a die hard fan of games like Grand Theft Auto or Crazy Taxi, you will want to pick up Wreckless, if you are somewhat interested in taking a look at the game, rent it, or borrow it from the guy who buys it.

Wreckless...yet another Bloodwake disappointment

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: February 08, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I got Wreckless with the antipation of owning a new fun XBox game. I, being a veteran gamer, was left sorely disappointed. After playing several missions I've come to realize that the developers of the game must think we gamers love having to do boring things over and over again. They also think we'd like to see a terrible looking instant replay of us doing it over and over again. The game frequently pummels you with below the belt hits, smacks you with cheap shots and puts a doom clock over your head just for spite. The graphics are fantastic but who cares when the gameplay is lame. They say the physics engine is accurate. I don't see it. GTA3's better than that. At least the cars don't disappear in front of you or corners throw you for a 180 everytime your near. The in game arrows will blind you and the huge map and displays all over your screen make seeing where your going a huge hassle. Bottom line, Save your money or just rent it!

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