Silent Scope

Silent Scope was a very unique arcade game. Anyone who strolled by the rifle fitted to the dashboard usually found themselves compelled to take the sniper-sim for a go or two. If you've actually played the game, you know it was cool as hell drawing a bead on a baddie's forehead and painting the walls with him. Now that the game has come home to the PS2, does it survive the conversion, minus the presence of a controversial peripheral like a sniper-rifle replica? Yes it does, if anything, the game is even easier, as tracking bad guys with the rifle was always a chore. The easiest tactic was to look directly at the screen, following the targeting reticle and the target, and once located, to aim through the scope and fire. Without a rifle to impede your progress, moving around and zooming in and out with the Dual Shock controller works just fine, although it can be awkward remembering what button does what. The challenges are varied, whether it be picking off bad guys lurking in windows, or pegging a terrorist running across a crowded football field carrying the president's daughter. The training missions help you get accustomed to the controls, but the greatest failing factor that brings Silent Scope down a notch is the fact that the game is over in no time at all. This is nothing new to arcade conversions, but that doesn't help this innovative game avoid rental status.

There's no doubt in my mind that the biggest reason Silent Scope and its sequel have been #1 at the arcades is because of the unique scope-screen. But if that had been the only thing this game had going for it, it would be a complete flop when it came home minus the gun support--luckily it's not. What you have here is a solid sniper shooting game, with pretty good controls and tons of extras. Variable difficulty, a load of practice levels and fine-tuned gameplay make Silent Scope much more than just another gun game. True, you won't be playing this one for weeks, but it'll last longer than you think. Not as much fun as a Virtua Cop, but close.

Konami steps up to fill the need for a precision killing game at PS2's launch with a port of its arcade smash Silent Scope. The game made me feel like I was a sniper in Tom Clancy's novel Rainbow Six, and the pacing and level of intensity made my palms sweat and gunsights quiver as I shot my way through the levels. The aim/shoot mechanism was easy to learn and became intuitive after a few levels, and the real world cityscapes, complete with recognizable landmarks, added an element of reality and thus tension to the action. While the wobbly motions and sudden camera swings made the flying levels a bit disconcerting, SS is an early showcase game for the PS2.