3ERDC Headhunter

Resident Evil + Shenmue + Metal Gear Solid = Headhunter

Sounds like the perfect formula doesn't it? On paper it is. Take the best
features of three of the most successful and innovative game
franchises of all time and you're guaranteed an instant-classic. Well, we
all know that things never quite work out that well. Luckily, though,
Headhunter comes close enough, resulting in one hell of a sleeper hit
that any fan of Resident Evil, Shenmue, or Metal Gear Solid would enjoy.

With enormous environments rivaling those of Shenmue, a gameplay
system resembling Metal Gear Solid, and an engrossing story
reminiscent of Resident Evil, Headhunter is a successful action game
and another foreign gem worthy of importing. Developed by Amuze and
published by Sega, while Headhunter doesn't do anything new to make
it stand out from the games that it seems to be inspired from, it does
enough to demand attention.

Set in the not so distant future of southern California, you play as the
legendary "headhunter" Jack Wade, former agent of the Anti-Crime
Network (ACN). Due to the abundance of black market operations the
goverment formed the ACN to simultaneously combat crime and shove
propaganda down the throats of public citizens.

Unfortunately, Jack Wade has lost his memory and his position. So,
without the support of the government or the ACN, it is up to you to
solve the clues to your own past as well as the murder of the ACN
president. All in all, it's a captivating story that will hold your interest.
The voice-acting is good, the cutscenes are well done (and often
humorous), and the plot is very entertaining.

Gameplay

Using the third-person perspective now standard for 3D action games
(although there is the occasional shift to first-person view for certain
gameplay features), Headhunter plays a lot like a cross between
Resident Evil and Metal Gear Solid as you spend most of your time
walking around collecting clues and solving puzzles----armed with a
wide array of weapons of course! There are even training missions
similar to MGS's VR missions. Just like MGS the use of stealth is an
important factor as well. And just like MGS you are aided by an enemy
radar system that you can use to sneak up on enemies and snap their
necks, or lure them out of position by tossing decoy shells. Similar to
Resident Evil Code: Veronica, Headhunter has you switching character
roles between Jack Wade and Angela Stern----the daughter of the
recently murdered ACN president.

However, Headhunter also brings back memories of Shenmue as you
are given the freedom to travel the enormous environments on
motorcycle. Although, I must add that other than that the game is
actually quite linear. In addition to its linear nature Headhunter is quite
easy. The enemy AI is nothing spectacular, and since your primary
weapon has infinite ammo, conserving ammunition is not a major
problem. Nevertheless, the use of an "adrenaline" system to serve as
"shield" for your health, the wide selection of weapons, and the
excellent story outweigh any major gameplay gripes.

90%

Graphics

Visually Headhunter is a success. In fact, it's right up there with
Shenmue and Resident Evil Code: Veronica as having some of the most
impressive eye-candy the Dreamcast has ever seen. Slowdown is
nonexistent, although there is the occasional popup in the background
when you're flying through the streets on your motorcycle, and
everything is incredibly detailed. Very impressive.

96%

Sound

Good voice acting is rare these days but Headhunter delivers. While
there is the occasional cliché, there is not much else to complain
about. Likewise, the sound effects are great and the music
complements the game's ambiance as well---although the music seems
overdone at times.

92%

Replay Value

Usually games like Headhunter don't offer much in the replay
department. But Headhunter does a decent job of making you want to
play more. It should take you about 10-15 hours to defeat the game, but
if you do it well enough and get all the records in the training missions
you can unlock the "star box," which will give you all the weapons with
unlimited ammo to play around with in the second version (the one you
can play after you defeat the game once). And let me tell you, it's a
blast having unloading an infinite amount of shots from the rocket
launcher on helpless enemies. Additionally, the story is good enough
that you won't mind playing through again and there are plenty of
challenging training missions as well.

89%

Overall

While not perfect----the game is linear and not very difficult---overall
Headhunter is a huge success for the Dreamcast. Taking some of the
best components of some of the best games ever made, the developers
did an excellent job of making the final product a coherent and
enjoyable one. The game is in English so there are no worries there, but
I do advise to save your game often as the game froze on me during
loading segments on more than a few occasions. So, with an enjoyable
storyline, solid gameplay, and great voice-acting and eye-candy (for the
Dreamcast anyway), the positives of Headhunter far outweigh the
negatives. Consequently, I recommend it most highly.

93%