GAME
Hack: Part 3
Outbreak

Format: PS2
Atari
£39.99

3 296580 804306
Age Restrictions: 12+
Available
17 September 2004


In the third chapter of the Hack saga, the World continues to deteriorate as the virus spreads out of control. As the outlaw player, Kite, you must choose your strategy wisely. Not only is the outbreak affecting the World in the game, but now repercussions are being felt in the real world too. Is there a way to stop this outbreak? Where does the answer to the mystery lie? Fight through contaminated cyberspace as you take on and eliminate enemies, and unlock codes to gate hack to even more environments. Will you ever find out who or what is behind this nightmare and wake Orca from his coma?...

Outbreak is the the third in the Hack series of games. If you haven't bought episodes one and two then you might as well give up all hope of trying to fathom what is going on. This is not a game you can simply take out of the box and play straight away. No provisions have been made to ease any new players into this chapter.

But then, if you already have the first two chapters, the purchase of this game will probably make you realise that you are being ripped off. The Hack series will eventually be spread over four games and after playing this chapter I have to confess that I don't understand how they have managed to stretch it over three titles, let alone four. That means that you are effectively paying £160 for one game.

There is a stupid amount of padding here, and you'll spend a great deal of time wandering around from room to room before any real action happens. This is especially true of the dungeon areas - all of which look identical. And the possibilities that could have been made of the facility to jump from one world to another is also wasted due to the fact that all worlds look identical.

The fact that Atari are expecting innocent gamers to fork out a small fortune for this series is a crime in itself. How long will it take to dawn on fans that they are just buying the same game over and over again with hardly any real advancements?

Ray Thompson

Buy this item online
We compare prices online so you get the cheapest deal!
Click on the logo of the desired store below.


cover

£29.99 (Amazon.co.uk)

All prices correct at time of going to press.