I did not expect much of this game when I saw it for the first time, as I had thought that this was yet another mindless action game that I’ll just throw away within a few hours. However, it turns out that this was one of the best titles I have played in a long, long time.
Graphics
This game has some great visuals, including some nice looking special effects like the explosions and some weather effects. Character models are well done, but I can’t say the same for the structures unfortunately, since some of them are quite bland. However, my biggest complaint here is the fact that there are not enough different models, making your enemies look like clones of each other. This may not be the best looking 3rd-person shooter out there (that’s right, it’s a 3rd-person shooter. Well… for the majority of the game anyway), but it does its job well.
Sound
The voice acting for all the characters is simply top notch. Never before have I heard such great voice acting in any games, and it really makes the game so much more hilarious and entertaining, especially in the cinematics. The enemy and your sidekicks also taunt each other, providing some laughs. The sound effects and music are also well done, but pales in comparison to the excellent voice-overs, but still clear and crisp and very well done however.
Gameplay
What do an explosives-loving mole-man (Jonesy), a smelly, blind, old man (Rexus) with supernatural powers, and a tea-loving robot (Q) have in common? Well, they are all members of a group called the Lionhearts, which you are the leader of. This mismatched group faces its toughest challenge yet, to perform the ultimate heist and steal the Book of Rule, which is currently in the possession of the evil king of the realm, through the help of a young girl and several plant-loving killer robots. The story is told via simply laugh-out-loud funny cinematics appearing at the beginning of every mission. There are basically four types of missions, rescue the peasants, defend the town, blow up marked houses, and the ever so popular running from A to B. The missions are also terribly linear and quite small. However, the game is just full of hilarious tidbits like some of the really well-balanced weapons (including a mortar shaped like a trumpet, a gun that fires land-sharks, and a device to turn the world upside down, to name some) and great in-game dialogues. The level design is not bad either, but would have been better if not for the fact that usually you can only travel in one path. In fact, you’ll probably enjoy watching the little movies more than the actual game, because they are so well done and extremely good even compared to some feature-length animated motion pictures I’ve seen. Unfortunately, the A.I. is really quite horrible at moments. Usually in every mission your job is to mow down hordes of enemies (especially in the defence missions, which I enjoy probably the most), but sometimes if you want to be stealthy, you can snipe one enemy without having anybody else notice it, even if they are standing right next to your victim. Sometimes they would also just totally ignore you or get stuck in the ground. Even so, this game is really quite fun to play and also to watch.
Value
Being a linear game, Armed & Dangerous’ replayability does suffer quite a lot. There is also no multiplayer support, further shortening the game’s lifespan. However, there are plenty of secrets to be found, including extra missions or humourous cheats, as well as having several difficulty levels to make some of the tough missions even tougher.
Conclusion
This is really one of the better action games to come out in quite some time. This game combines humour and intense action together and successfully doing something that many other games have tried and failed. For those who like arcade-style action games, this game is definitely worth a try.