<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a particular letter in the title of SEGA\u2019s Renegade Ops<\/em> you should pay close attention to: It\u2019s the \u201cs\u201d at the very end. As in, if you\u2019d like to get the most out of this entertaining, vehicular-based twin-stick shooter, you\u2019d better plan to play it plural.<\/p>\n

If you decide you\u2019d rather take down Inferno, the bald and scene-chewing international terrorist who enjoys dropping missiles and mortar on innocent third-world villages just to see how quickly they\u2019ll burn, on your own, be prepared to endure a massive wave of d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu. You\u2019ll be repeating missions often as you level grind your way to commando badassery. <\/p>\n

In a tale told through comic-book style panel delivery, you learn that Inferno is threatening to blow up the world. Tired of the namby-pamby diplomacy employed by those boring bureaucrats, bejowled General Bryant chucks his military epaulettes and does what any God-loving patriot would do: Collect a strike force of quirky renegades, stick them in a bunch of supercharged vehicles and take matters into his own hands. It\u2019s so much easier to blow everything up and strike a blow for justice when you don\u2019t have to follow the rules, you see.<\/p>\n

And there isn\u2019t much you won\u2019t be blowing up in Renegade Ops<\/em>. As you tool around the game\u2019s lush and detailed environments, the left stick handles the steering while the right stick deploys fire at enemy units. Collecting health and weapons power-ups comes from shooting and blowing up enemies, often in spectacular, light-up-the-entire-screen fashion. At the points in the game where your vehicle is tricked out with multiple power-ups–rocket launchers, rail guns, etc.– Renegade Ops<\/em>\u2019 formula really catches fire. Literally. Buildings, enemy units, everything on the screen falls to your explosive might with satisfying bursts of flame and black smoke. And huge points for your bonus multiplier and level score.<\/p>\n

Each of Renegade Ops<\/em>‘ four playable characters\/vehicles has its own specialized power-up that can be launched with the left trigger whenever a meter fills. One can call down an air strike that incinerates enemies like a birthday cake packed with colorful roman candles. Another unleashes a temporary shield that can reflect enemy strikes, while yet another can temporarily disable nearby enemy weapons. It\u2019s easy to see how, in concert, these abilities could quickly devastate a full screen of enemies. It\u2019s also easy to see how frustrating it is, as a lone wolf, to have to play through the early missions several times as different characters in order to level up each vehicle\u2019s power-ups. That\u2019s why playing with friends locally (using split-screen) or, better yet, online, is the best way to enjoy Renegade Ops<\/em>\u2019 colorful vehicular destruction. <\/p>\n

Renegade Ops<\/em>\u2019 Achilles’ heel is its egregious lack of checkpoints. Each of the game\u2019s nine missions are fairly long in scope (not so much in variety), and if you use up all your lives before completing one, it\u2019s back to the beginning, there to trudge through the same cutscenes and timed objectives you\u2019ve likely endured three or four times already. Rocking a particularly impressive high score or hit streak? Too bad\u2014if you don\u2019t finish the mission, it\u2019s history. It\u2019s clear the designers considered the checkpoint issue carefully, as the experience and upgrade points you earn stay with you even if you flame out halfway through a mission. Consider that a huge saving grace, because it\u2019s only after you\u2019ve nailed down enough upgrade points to unlock and juice up your special abilities that you\u2019ll be able to withstand (and incinerate) whatever Inferno\u2019s decided to throw at you.<\/p>\n

The end of the first mission affords your operatives the chance to jump in helicopters, there to do some Apocalypse Now-style damage on Inferno\u2019s giant missile-toting boat. A nice touch, but it\u2019s the only time you\u2019ll do anything other than drive your car around the landscape, shooting and blowing things up. Fortunately, thanks to detailed level design and forgiving driving physics, the thrill never really gets stale. <\/p>\n

Bring your patience–and more important, bring your friends–and you\u2019ll manage to have a blast at Inferno\u2019s expense. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Pros:<\/strong>
\n+ Crisp, clean graphics shine, especially in the environments and massive explosions
\n+ Easy-handling drive physics
\n+ Blowing things up when your vehicle\u2019s powered up is exhilarating<\/p>\n

Cons:<\/strong>
\n– Lack of checkpoints is egregious, frustrating
\n– Playing solo means excessive, level-grinding mission repetition<\/p>\n

Game Info:<\/strong>
\nPlatform: Reviewed on Xbox Live Arcade for Xbox 360; also available on PC and PSN
\nPublisher: Sega
\nDeveloper: Avalanche Studios
\nRelease Date: 9\/14\/2011
\nGenre: Twin-stick shooter
\nESRB Rating: Teen
\nPlayers: 1-4 (2-player split-screen and 4-player online)
\nSource: Review code provided by publisher<\/p>\n