With the slew of games trying to be Metal Gear Solid it is always nice to see fresh faces eh? Well when I first saw X-Squad (originally titled X-Fire in Japan) I thought.."wow look another MGS rip off" Needless to say I still gave the game a whirl on launch day and to be honest I am impressed. I have to give props to EA for this one, not too shabby.

Graphically the game is a mixed bag, sometimes things look so good you can't believe it. Other times the game looks like Fighting Force 2 on the PS...EWWWW! It is weird how this works, but it does. The frame rate is smooth and the character models are decent. The background and levels could have used some originality, but hey it is a MGS style game so it is forgivable.
This game actually has decent voice acting...GASP! I enjoy the conversations between the characters and the music is quite mood setting. The overall sound flare is well done and I don't think it could have been better.

I love the way this game plays. Using almost every button on that controller is why there are that many buttons on it! I also love the touch-sensitive control when running, ingenuous! This game gets five stars for it's control. The game itself isn't the longest or even hardest game I have ever played, but it does keep you interested all the way to the end.

Hardcore? Yes, worth a purchase? That depends on your preference of games. If you enjoyed Syphon Filter then I recommend buying this title. While not as in depth as SF this game does deliver where it counts.