Shadow Ops: Red Mercury

One of the best values when considering that it fully supports Live and System Link play, has HD graphics support, and one of the best audio tracks ever laid down in a video game.

Shadow Ops hardly ever strays from its basic first-person shooter blueprint and that's what makes this a lackluster shooter, but the action is always of the pulse-pounding kind and that certainly counts for something.

With its no nonsense game play I recommend this title for those bored of the Tom Clancy approach to gaming.

A linear approach to design and the tired reliance on ubiquitously placed exploding barrels will raise red flags for some, but I'm always down for an intense march through a shooting gallery. [July 2004, p.73]

Perhaps the single biggest fault of Shadow Ops is that the game simply offers nothing new to the genre and lacks any personality.

The fact of the matter is there are many other FPS on the Xbox that have a better story, better multiplayer play, and more innovation that will make you feel like you just made a smart 50 dollar purchase.

Frustrating, boring, and poorly executed, this is a game that is destined for the dustbin.