Armed and Dangerous - Xbox

A game from Lucas and Activision and developed by industry newbie Planet Moon Studios, Armed and Dangerous appears to be one of those cliched epics that pits players in a global conflict of good versus evil. But this is not the case here, as players assume control of a group of unwitting heroes that comprise of Roman, the only real human being of the group, Jonesy, Q1-11 and Rexus. And as you get to grips with these amusing characters, you'll soon find yourself drawn into a rebellion against a tyrant king.

It's true that Armed and Dangerous doesn't take itself seriously, and this is likely to be the real reason players will enjoy it so much. Gameplay too is a fairly light-hearted affair, as players progress through several massive landscapes in which they must simply take down as many enemies as possible before moving onto the next area. And although your team will be armed to the teeth, it's not half as easy as it sounds.

Gamers following a tendency to just charge in with guns blazing, will find themselves looking at the Game Over screen in less than a minute. It's as simple as that. Though the computer AI is a bit rough around the edges, they still pose a formidable threat, and as a result, a sound plan of action needs to be implemented to succeed. You also might find you have to save and defend a few peasants along the way, making for an even tougher challenge.

February 2004's Armed and Dangerous is Planet Moon's second project so far, after the respected PC game Giants. We say they've gotten off to a pretty fine start. Good stuff. more