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With a development time that rivals Rare’s efforts, Run Like Hell is an appropriately named action-horror title. The name is pretty ‘unique’ but it is how you’ll feel during the game. You play as Nick Conner who is a military hero on a deep space mining station. When he returns one day, he finds that almost everyone is dead or dying. He goes to check the station’s cameras and while doing so finds himself in a mess of bodies and blood. He then hears a large ‘bang’ and sees an alien who grabs and rips the head of his partner. The game’s title comes to use as Connor well… runs like hell.
You later found out the alien is a ‘Brute’. You don’t want to mess with these guys you want to get out of there as quickly as you possibly can. Brutes aren’t the only aliens to encounter, as you’ll also meet ‘Cutters’. Cutters are very dangerous little critters that can block your fire and will come slashing at you. You’ll also find scorpion-like things that lay low and attack you from the ground. Your station is totally overrun with these aliens ranging from small and ‘harmless’ to large and lethal. The enemy’s AI learns your behavior, adapts to it and will try to make you fret.
Conner has a lot of firepower in his disposal to resolve his problems. At the beginning you’ll only have a rifle. The rifle seems to have unlimited ammunition but is slow. Other weapons include a shotgun and an assault rifle. The shotgun is strong and its secondary mode has barrel fire. The Assault Rifle is a lot stronger and its secondary function has a grenade launcher. Another powerful weapon is the Bolt Thrower. It has an insane amount of power and includes a guided missile as secondary. The game isn’t low on firepower since you’ll find a lot more weapons as you progress. The weapons can be modified to fit you better as well. You can modify them to be stronger or hold more ammo.
The game includes many interactive parts. Light switches, video games, and vending machines are all interact-able. These elements add spice to Run Like Hell’s puzzles. The puzzles aren’t the most challenging (get a hidden code and access this area) but they are a nice change of pace to the game. There are some parts in the game where you’ll have to stop and… think! Don’t let that disappoint you as most of the time the game sticks to its titles.
The story is advanced through the great use of cinematic scenes. The cinematics are done so well that Run Like Hell makes you feel as if your watching the latest action-horror flick. In addition to how well they are done, the cinematics provide a little breather as well. If your short on time you can skip them but I recommend that you watch them.
The in-game graphics are very well done as well. Everything is done in a 3D third person viewpoint. The PS2 is most definitely pushed by Interplay’s title. The game’s environments are beautifully rendered. Lighting and more importantly, shadows, add a lot as the environments are dimly lit and add to the game’s atmospheres. The enemies are rendered nicely and their animations are smooth.
The sound effects and music or lack of them add to the game’s creepy atmosphere. You’ll only hear as Connor moves and the aliens. Weapon fire sounds very realistic and breaks up the previously mentioned silence. The background music fits the mood of the game. Most of the time a low, smooth, eerie orchestra music is heard but other times, when appropriate, you’ll hear some heavy rock music. Lance Henricksen, Clancy Brown, and Kate Mulgrew, provide the voice talent for the game’s characters adding to the game’s authentic-nature.
Run Like Hell won’t really scare you in the same way other titles have. It’s science-fiction storyline fits the game very nicely and adds substance to the game. The graphics, and sound effects work wonders with the PS2 and aim to please. The combination of being appealing and fun to play really makes Run Like Hell stand out. If you haven’t already picked it up, you should. A little tip though, save often or you’ll be sorry. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Dec 18, 2002
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