You're busted!
While Manhattan Chase sounds like it could be a cool blend of GTA and Driver, in practice it turns out to be a pretty dire experience as it gets pretty much everything wrong, from visuals to interface to actual gameplay. The concept itself is sound enough and the game gives you the option of two characters to play as, one a tough police officer, the other a psychotic criminal. Each character has their own storyline which unfolds via episodic installments. The gameplay itself is that mixture of third- and first-person driving action, which alternates between on foot sections and the driving parts, with a variety of missions for you to complete. The car scenes are perhaps the biggest draw due to the sheer over the top violence that is promised and which require you to beat target times, take out bad guys and destroy stuff. In keeping with the extreme theme, you can buy extra weapons for your vehicles, in the style of Twisted Metal, including airstrikes, mines and so on while there are also a couple of multiplayer and instant action modes to try out alongside the story. On paper, this all sounds decent enough and you might be thinking there's an exciting bit of driving action to be had here. In truth though, Manhattan Chase is pretty woeful. It certainly doesn't impress with its visuals which are cheap looking and ugly while the prerequisite sense of speed is almost completely absent. The handling is also very ropey and the gameplay lacking in anything approaching thrills and spills. All in all, this is a total bust.
