Rush'n Attack: Ex-Patriot

Rush'n Attack: Ex-Patriot
Developer(s)	Vatra Games[1]
Publisher(s)	Konami
Engine	Unreal Engine 3
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Release date(s)	March 29, 2011 (PSN) March 30, 2011 (XBLA)
Genre(s)	Platformer, sidescroller, stealth, action
Mode(s)	Single-player

Rush'n Attack: Ex-Patriot is a platformer action game, the sequel to the 1985 Rush'n Attack. It was developed by Vatra Games and published by Konami. The game follows Sergeant Sid Morrow, an American special agent sent with his team to recover a prisoner from a secret Russian military base. It was released March 29, 2011 on the PlayStation 3 via PlayStation Network and March 30, 2011 for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade.

Gameplay

The player will primarily engage enemies with a knife in Rush'n Attack: Ex-Patriot

Rush'n Attack: Ex-Patriot is inspired by many of the action gameplay elements from the original Rush'n Attack. The game is played from a 2.5D perspective, with players being able to move horizontally and vertically. The game has several new features such as non-linear levels, stealth-based combat, combos and usable equipment such as gas masks and night vision goggles.^[1][2][3]

Players are armed primarily with a knife, but can pick up other temporary-use weaponry such as grenades, rifles and rocket launchers.^[1] The game sometimes requires the player to use stealth to avoid enemy units or security cameras. Triggering any alarm will result in enemies rushing the player character. In a departure from Rush'n Attack, the player character is given a health bar instead of the original one hit death.^[4]

Players will be able to perform shank combos in addition to the stealth kills.^[5] As the character progresses new combos can be unlocked.^[4] Chaining combos together will result in the player gaining more points earned.^[6] The character can also dispatch enemies using stealth tactics. Generally stealth kills reward the player with a higher score.^[6] Players can also perform stealth kills by hiding in dark areas or by entering dark doorways, then exiting for the kill as an enemy passes.^[5][7] The combat system is based on systema, a Russian martial art.^[5]

Plot

Rush'n Attack: Ex-Patriot takes place fifteen years after the Cold War struggle between Russia and the United States. The CIA learns that the Russians have discovered a previously unknown material called Ulyssium that could be used to create the world's most powerful nuclear missiles.^[5] To combat the threat they form "Harvest," a secret CIA task force designed to investigate and infiltrate the Soviet weapons program. The Cold War ends without confrontation, and the team is extracted from Russia. Fifteen years later new Harvest operative Sgt. Sid Morrow (callsign Wolf Spider) is sent with a team on Operation: Angel Tear to retrieve original Harvest team member Rory Gibson,^[8] who has been abandoned in Russia during the extraction. Having received intelligence that the missile program may have been re-initiated, the CIA also tasks Wolf Spider with re-evaluating the missile threat, sabotaging it if necessary.^[1]

Development

Rush'n Attack: Ex-Patriot was revealed by Konami on April 12, 2010 at Konami Gamers Night.^[1][9] It is being developed by Vatra Games and published by Konami. It was released March 30, 2011.^[1] It is powered by Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3.^[1]

Reception

Rush n Attack: Ex-Patriot
Aggregate scores Aggregator Score GameRankings 47.30% (PS3)[10] 51.12% (X360)[11] Metacritic 47/100 (PS3)[12] 51/100 (X360)[13] Review scores Publication Score Eurogamer 8/10[14] Game Informer 6/10[15] GamesRadar 3/10[16] IGN 4/10[17] Joystiq [18]

Prior to its release, Rush'n Attack: Ex-Patriot drew comparisons to Shadow Complex and Bionic Commando Rearmed by the media.^[6][19] Upon release it was received to lukewarm reception from critics. It currently averages 47.30% on the PlayStation 3 51.12% on the Xbox 360 at the aggregate site GameRankings.^[10][11] Metacritic reports similar scores; the PlayStation 3 version holds an aggregate score of 47/100 while the Xbox 360 version has a score of 51/100.^[12][13] The lowest score can from PSNStores' Ben Jones with a 20% approval rating,^[20] while the highest score came from Kristan Reed of Eurogamer who gave the game an 80% approval.^[14]

References