Men in Black: The Series-Crashdown

Welcome, New Recruit!  You have been very carefully chosen to join the most important law enforcement agency in the universe...The Men In Black, otherwise known as MIB!  This organization has been operating for more than 50 years...monitoring alien activity on Earth, providing intergalactic immigration services, and representing Earth in fifth-dimension foreign affairs.

As a MIB field agent, it will be your job to investigate any and all unlawful acts committed by aliens.   It is imperative that you take your new assignment very seriously!  The safety of our planet lies in your hands!  Step inside to receive your mission briefing.  Always remember...no one said "Protecting the Earth from the scum of the universe" was going to be easy!
Men in Black - The Series:  Crashdown, the newest offering in this ongoing series from Infogrames,  is an action/adventure game that allows you to play through the "eyes" of either Agent Jay or Agent Kay.  The level of expertise you choose will determine which of the two agents you will be playing and can be found at the Level Select section of the Options Menu.

The game is divided into Syndromes and each Syndrome is divided into stages.  A short movie clip will play at the beginning of each Syndrome to explain the current situation and to give you a little insight into the lives of the MIB characters.  Agent Zed, MIB's top dog, will then brief you on your mission.

Once your briefing is over, the details of your mission objectives will be displayed on the screen.  As you work your way through each level, a green check mark will appear beside each task that you have completed.  You can access the mission objectives screen at any time by simply using the START button.

The action will be fast paced as you work your way through each level.  Keep your eyes and ears wide open because you never know when an alien will pop up.  Be careful though, because sometimes an innocent bystander will pop and killing or injuring them will end your mission and you will have to start all over again!

You should also be on the lookout for pickups like weapons, booster packs, cheats and maps that will make your life a whole lot easier.  All you have to do to pick these objects up is to walk over them.

A MIB needs all the firepower he can get so be sure to pick up any weapons you find as you travel through each level.  There are also weapon rechargers scattered about that have been disguised as everyday items such as public phones, fuse boxes, ATMs and vending machines to keep the average earthling from knowing what they are.  When you face and approach a rechager for a weapon you are carrying, that weapon will automatically be recharged.  Keep in mind, however, that not all weapons can be recharged by all rechargers.  You will know if you have the correct weapon for a recharger, though, because a holographic projected icon will appear as you approach the recharger.

You'll also want to find as many Booster Packs as you can.  When you pick one up, a Booster Pack will temporarily increase your health, speed, or will make you invulnerable to damage.  Any given effect will only last for a limited time so be sure to use these wisely.  Another nice item you can find is a Global Positioning Cell for a specific level which will allow you to see a map of that level.

You'll also find Pass Codes hidden around the levels.  These special codes activate the various cheats in the game that you can use once the Pass Codes are entered in the Password section of the Option Menu.

Prior to playing, you will want to familiarize yourself with the Controller options.  There is a nice, easy to understand diagram on page 6 of the game manual.  You can also customize the controller settings under the Options menu, if you like.  If you are using a DUALSHOCK analog controller, you can toggle on and off the Controller Vibration option.

There are also AIM functions that you can toggle on and off under the Options Menu that will allow you to change your view of the game scenes.  The Options Menu is also where you will find the various sound options that will control the volume of both in-game music and sound effects.  You can also access the MIB Database on the Options Menu to learn more about the MIB universe.

This version of  Men In Black - The Series:  Crashdown was played on the Playstation console and is rated T for Teen due to mild violence.

Gameplay:  7.0. 
It is sometimes difficult to maneuver the controller to scan up and down when you are looking for aliens.  Otherwise, this game is fairly easy to control.

Graphics:  6.5. 
There was nothing in particularly outstanding about the graphics here that would raise this score to a higher level.  They are slightly above average.

Sound:  7.0. 
Some of the sound effects help to give this category a higher than average score.  The voice characterizations were fairly decent and the overall music was better than average.

Difficulty:  8.0. 
There is a definite challenge in store for those who play this game.  I wouldn't recommend it for a novice player because the player will need to think and react very quickly to stay alive.

Concept:  6.5. 
I wasn't overly impressed with this particular game.  It lacks pizzazz and punch and it plays more like a hack 'n slash type game which is not my favorite game choice to begin with and my two older grandchildren (ages 12 and 13) didn't stay interested in the game for very long.
 
Multiplayer:  N/A.

Overall:  6.5. 
Sorry Infogrames but this game is just slightly above average in my eyes and I have to call it as I see it.