Headhunter Redemption

Headhunter: Redemption follows Jack and Leeza through a futuristic city, alternating gunfights, stealth and environmental puzzles across a substantial campaign. Automatic targeting keeps shooting approachable, and the pattern-based security-code puzzles provide a welcome change of pace. The problem is less an absence of content than a failure to make that content consistently distinctive. Industrial interiors recur, the dialogue and performances divide critics, and the motorcycle sequences that gave the earlier game another rhythm are gone. The Xbox release has an especially important qualification: a contemporary comparative test finds movement less intuitive than on PS2. Automatic wall attachment can pull the character into cover while trying to sneak toward an enemy; an Xbox player account also describes evasive rolls going in an unintended direction. Such friction is particularly costly when positioning and cover are central to play. Some outdoor scenes, sound effects and puzzle ideas still work, so this is not an empty sequel. But those seeking dependable stealth-shooter control or a stronger science-fiction story have better choices. The score addresses the original Xbox version specifically, without importing the more favourable PS2 control assessment. Accounts differ in their appreciation of acting and visual polish, which the evaluation treats as mixed rather than certain defects in every scene.

Who it is for: Series followers willing to tolerate older, awkward action controls.

Play notes: Original Xbox edition only; PS2 control impressions are not applied to this release.