Urban Chaos

...and also Driver of course, but you wasn't able to go out of the car in Driver at that time. I remember this game from PS 1, it was really underrated, probably because the controls were not so good. But otherwise, this game is an awesome experience. When I first played it on old PS 1 I was so amazed how many possibilities are in this game. The map is huge, you can drive any car, you can climb up any building and of course fight the criminals... and then give them shackles. You are on the other side of the law than in GTA, but that doesn't mean that you can't do wrong things if you just want to have some evil fun. The atmosphere and soundtrack are really great in Urban Chaos, if you like sandbox GTA style games, I can't recommend this enough to you.

Urban Chaos was one of those games that was ahead of its time but under-appreciated by the gaming community. The first thing that hits you is the atmosphere - a dark yet colourful urban setting, dynamic music that changes with the players pace, rubbish that gets kicked out of your way and tree leaves that sway out of your way when running past. Small details that all add up. The combat is based on combination moves and timing and although quite simple, it is very rewarding when you take out a small mob of enemies. You can see where Ubisoft got their influence for Assassins Creed combat. You can arrest people too and that gets you a bit of a reward. The driving may be quite clunky, but there is not much of it especially since you would most likely be exploring down dark alleys and side streets. Finally the narrative is quite sinister in places and the two protagonists are pretty strong characters, it has a bit of a X-Files feel to it.

This game scared the crap out of me when I was younger, I'm not gonna lie. But when I look at it now, I see this game has a brilliantly dark atmosphere to it, something which quite a lot of games today are lacking in. The music is brilliant, the gameplay is smooth and solid, and this game is just a true thrill to play.

Oh man. It might not look like much these days, but before Grand Theft Auto III - this was the sandbox that I spent hours and hours in. Just a great mix of gameplay, amazing levels that are worth exploring in full detail and some great mechanics. I'll be picking this up as soon as possible!