Headhunter (video game)
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| Headhunter | |
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| Developer(s) | Amuze |
| Publisher(s) | Sega |
| Release date(s) | Dreamcast November 16, 2001PlayStation 2 March 22, 2002 May 9, 2002 |
| Genre(s) | Action/Adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Mature (M) ELSPA: 15+ |
| Platform(s) | Sega Dreamcast, PlayStation 2 |
| Media | GD-ROM, DVD-ROM |
Headhunter is a video game developed by Amuze for the Sega Dreamcast and PlayStation 2 video game consoles. The Dreamcast version of the game was only distributed in Europe by BigBen Interactive.
For the majority of the game, the gameplay is that of a third-person shooter as players control protagonist Jack Wade. Jack travels between the main levels of the game on his motorcycle, and these sections take the form of a racing game, with the motorbike's acceleration and braking controlled using the sensitive analogue trigger buttons of the Dreamcast control pad.
Music for the game was composed by Richard Jacques and recorded at Abbey Road Studios. In 2004 its sequel, Headhunter: Redemption, was released on Xbox and PlayStation 2.
[edit] Plot
The game takes place in the near future in a city similar to Los Angeles. Criminals are punished for their crimes not by serving time in prison but by having their internal organs surgically removed and transplanted to benefit the wealthier members of society. Officially responsible for law enforcement are the Anti-Crime Network (ACN) organisation and their employees, the bounty hunter-like Headhunters. In order to prevent damage occurring to the criminals' organs as they are apprehended, conventional firearms have been banned, replaced by Electric Neural Projectile (ENP) guns that fire special bullets which do not damage flesh but instead emit an electrical charge that causes severe pain in victims, paralyses muscles and eventually kills the brain. According to the game, ENP technology was developed by Biotech and the main manufacturer of ENP handguns is Smith & Easton (a reference to the firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson), although the technology can also be used with grenades, proximity mines, rocket launchers and other explosives.
The game begins with Jack escaping from a secret laboratory, but soon after going outside he faints and falls unconscious. He wakes up in hospital and learns that he is suffering from amnesia and that although he was once the very best Headhunter, his licence has now been revoked. In order to investigate the murder of ACN founder Christopher Stern, he must re-earn his Headhunter licence by taking part in virtual-reality tests (called LEILA tests) and capture some of the most dangerous criminals in the city. Throughout the game, Jack is aided by Christopher Stern's daughter Angela and his old boss Chief Hawke; although he also finds that his main rival to the title of best Headhunter is the unpleasant Hank Redwood.
The game's storyline progresses through standard FMV cutscenes, propaganda commercials and satirical news broadcasts (presented by the fictional Bill Waverley and Kate Gloss).
[edit] Comparisons with other games
Certain aspects of the game caused Headhunter to be compared to Metal Gear Solid; obvious similarities include the emphasis on stealth-based gameplay (such as the ability to snap enemies necks from behind and to press the character's back against a wall and look round corners), Jack's favoured method of communication being through a Casio wristwatch presented similarly to the codec sequences of the MGS games, and the LEILA test sequences being similar to the MGS VR Missions. Puzzles in the game also drew some comparisons to the Resident Evil series. The game also had players ride a motorcycle to reach the destination points of Jack's next mission within the city.
