" At home, you have no sniper rifle (well, maybe a few of you ex-military/soldier of fortune guys do, but I sure as hell don't), just a PS2 controller "

   Title: Silent Scope by Konami

   Format: PS2 shooting Game

   Reviewing Monkey: Chimpan-A

   The Hype: Continuing America's love affair with professional killers, one of the hottest arcade shooters comes to your PS2.

      What This Monkey Thought...

   Graphics: Like most things on the PS2, the graphics are quite nice. The only difference is that this game is almost /directly/ ported from the arcade. So if you thought the graphics in the arcade were ugly, then this doesn't improve on them. If you've never played the arcade, then you're in for a pleasant surprise, with nice character modeling, realistic reactions to shots, nice backgrounds. If you've already seen this stuff then it's old hat, but still nice to look at. 4 out of 5

   Sound: The sound for the game is once again almost straight out of the arcades. That's not a bad thing though, as the music is nicely tuned to the game, and it would have been a shame to change it. Even the cheesy grade F porno music that plays when you spot a "Life-up Girl" is fun to laugh at. The sound effects are good, with the shooting sounds which are the main audio being plenty realistic. 4 out of 5

   Game Play: If you loved the arcade game, then this game will entice you for a bit. It's pretty much a direct port of the arcade version with everything included and playing out in just the same way as it does on the big machine. There's no slowdown; everything progresses in the exact same manner. If you want extra modes, there are some new shooting gallery's to take a crack at. The extra shooting galleries and training modes, like the Perfect shot, are a lot of fun and a good way to test your sniping skills, so with all of this going for it, (you ask so obligingly) why will it only entice for a bit? For one huge, monolithic, and enormous reason: the gun. Most of us simians took look and drooled over the giant sniper rifle we got to play around with…Making the game was almost secondary to it. At home, you have no sniper rifle (well, maybe a few of you ex-military/soldier of fortune guys do, but I sure as hell don't), just a PS2 controller. And although the controls are fairly nice, working pretty smoothly with analog support, it just isn't the same…Especially since there’s no increase in time given for the console version (which, obviously, is much slower to aim with). The game is definitely controllable, but there is a slight degradation in control from the light gun to the controller. Still, if you've never played the arcade game, and happen to like playing shooting gallery games with guns, this is a top quality example. The rest of us will probably just move on. 3.5 out of 5

   Level and Environment Designs: The environments are nicely done (as in the arcade). Even the new training mode levels are interesting to look at with lots of places for people to hide, and a good job at providing a background for the all the sniping mayhem. The levels are self-scrolling though, so it's not as though you really have to navigate them. Just kill everything and the game does the rest. It's not exactly bad, but for those of us used to more complex shooters, this arcade system can be a little tiring. It works in the arcade, but give us something more at home. 3 out of 5

   Multiplayer: Nope, nix, nada. It's not a two-player arcade game, so what makes you think they'd change that here?

   Replayability: With several training modes, and shooting ranges (both in and outdoor), this game has plenty to keep you back and trying again. Several of the outdoor shooting ranges are quite challenging. Plus the majority of them have to be unlocked, adding extra incentive to playing them. The story mode is branching, giving good reason to plunk your quarters into the... oh yeah. If you've seen the story before, there's nothing new here. It's still a lot to do, and should keep you coming back until you get bored of not having a gun. 4 out of 5

   Story/Dramatics: Although the storyline branches, you're not likely to notice it. It's more like it gives you a choice of what level to play. The story has something to do with a terrorist group who's kidnapped the president and wants a life time supply of yogurt and naked pictures of Bea Arthur... or something like that. It's not exactly a riveting soap opera of intense drama here. On the other hand, it's a shooter, and we don't generally expect much from those. At least there is a story. 2 out of 5

   Instructions and Learning Curve: The instructions are completely supplementary for anyone who's played the arcade game. They cover all of the basics, and give decent information on the new stuff. It's a very self-explanatory game, especially for those familiar with it, so it's easy to step right in and start blasting. 4 out of 5

   Installation and Real System Requirements: This is a very nice game in the arcade, but I doubt very highly that it's even beginning push at what a PS2 can do. At the very least we know it can handle a straight up port from the arcades with excellent efficiency. 3.5 out of 5

   The Verdict:

       Even missing that final component the game is still fun. Blowing away terrorists, with your super sniping skills just happens to be that much better when you can do it with a big gun. The game plays just the same as the arcade though, so for a faithful port of a great arcade game, look no further. Just don't expect to have the same feeling playing it.

   The Good: : A perfectly faithful arcade port with a few added bonuses.

   The Bad: No big fake plastic gun for us to fawn over or aid in game play.

   The Overall Ugly: : A fun enough game...But without modifications to aid in console play, it just gets boring quickly.

   What it's Worth: Market value