Graphics: 7.5
Sound: 5.0
Gameplay: 5.0

Ever since the attack on the United States in September 2001, the concept of terrorism has seeped into our daily lives. From popular music and movies to literature, the fear of more harm coming us is constantly played in front of our eyes, be it for dramatic effect or simply to remind us of the events that happened on that fateful day in September. More recently, this concept has also managed to make its way into games, being found in every genre, from online simulations such as "Kuma\War" to tactical stealth shooters like "Splinter Cell" and Eidos' "Hitman: Codename 47." Attempting to compete in this ever-growing genre of games with a terrorist theme, newcomer Magnum Games has released "Beyond the Law: The Third Wave."

Gangs have taken over the United States, and are threatening to destroy the country in three deadly waves of assault. The first and second waves attempt to gain control over Lady Liberty's citizens by using blackmail, bribery, and prostitution; however, the third wave is undoubtedly the most noxious, threatening the annihilation of the nation's Capitol using nuclear weapons. The police are helpless, as the gangs also control them, and it is now up to you and your crack squad of 50 elite anti-terrorism specialists to prevent the nuclear annihilation of the government of the United States. Intrigued? You should be… the fate of the free world is in your hands.

Much like old tactical point-and-click games of the past, "Beyond the Law: The Third Wave" uses a 2D top-down isometric view, where sprites compose the player models, and pre-rendered backgrounds scroll with you whenever you move. With graphics similar to Eidos' classic hit "Commandos," gamers are able to enjoy the crisp detail and complex looking graphics without the latest and greatest video cards, which should certainly be a plus for every budget stealth gamer out there.

While the player sprites don't show as much detail as one would have liked, the pre-rendered backgrounds sport impressive lighting effects, which help bring this crime-ridden world to life. Sadly, the objects found in the backgrounds aren't always perfectly scaled, since gigantic shipping crates, such as those found in your first mission, the naval yard, are smaller than a car parked next to it. While this does seem to be a result of developer carelessness, one can forgive cones found in a construction yard that are nearly as tall as the characters you are commanding, due to the fact that the atmosphere presented in the game is so convincing.

One of the coolest features of the game is the use of live action cinema, used to introduce each new segment of the game, something that has not been seen since EA's "Red Alert 2." However, unlike the aforementioned RTS', these cinemas are quite artistic, adopting a tone of gritty snuff films, which would be well in place in Rockstar's "Manhunt." Unfortunately, the artist responsible for producing the cinemas seemed to like the "grain" filter a bit too much, since the vertical stripes which run down the screen, make it seem as if it is constantly raining. This, though, can also be forgiven, since the cinemas themselves are of considerable length, and are well acted the majority of the time. The briefing screens of the game are also equally impressive, showing detailed technical sketches of your objectives, as well as interactive maps, something that helps you feel as if you are a covert operative for MI6. It is obvious that these screens were lovingly crafted and fine-tuned.

This graphically impressive presentation for a 2D isometric stealth-shooter is only marred by the lack of a configurable options menu, which forces the player to subject himself/herself to a constant 800x600 resolution. While this may not seem terrible at the beginning of the game, it becomes quite painful after playing for several hours. However, it is likely that the mock 3D aficionados who will play this game, will be too immersed in the impressive video, backgrounds, and briefing screens to notice.

While the menu, character, and weapon selection screens feature a soundtrack reminiscent of Konami's "Metal Gear Solid," the actual game play features no music. While the developer most likely wanted to instill the need for silence into the player, an ambient track in the background would have been appreciated. What is orchestrated, however, is truly moving, helping convey the tone of the game perfectly.

The in-game character dialogue, however, is not as well crafted. Strangely, the developer found it necessary to have a sprite speak whenever it is clicked on. This leads to hearing repetitive one-liners, such as "Faster than you can say 'Organized Crime,'" which will eventually make you turn your speaker volume to low.

Another puzzling aspect of the dialogue is why the New York mobsters all have Australian accents. Perhaps the actual goal of the Third Wave is to replace the White House with an Outback Steakhouse? Though it was apparently believed that characters with a foreign accent would sound more dangerous, the inclusion of these speech characteristics hurt the overall tone of the game. When not watching a cinema or navigating the briefing screen, it is best to mute the game, and have Winamp running in the background.

While the majority of the graphics are impressive and the orchestration presented in the menu screens are equally well executed, the game play department is where this title breaks down. While navigating your character with the left mouse button and having him perform an action with the right button is one of the best control systems I have seen in a 2D game, it is nearly impossible to perform any action with the speed needed to, if you should ever run into an enemy.

Speaking of enemies, the Australian New York Mobsters are apparently psychic hit men, since they are capable of pinpointing your exact position on the map if they should notice you, and are capable of shooting you with a pistol in the head three times in a row from distances spanning at least a hundred meters, regardless of the fact whether or not you are currently taking cover behind a box, car, or steel door. While the targeting makes it appear as if the gang members are invincible, the inconsistent AI can also make it seem as if the NPC's aren't ready to graduate preschool. For example: In one of the later missions my bodyguard, a close combat specialist, neglected to clear a body out of the way after I had ordered him to take down an enemy. This led to the discovery of the body by one of his fellow gang members, something that should trigger an immediate alarm in any situation. Instead, a question appeared over the NPC's head, who paused for several seconds, and then continued walking his pre-scripted path. The majority of the time, it is also possible to walk directly in front of your enemy, and not have him take notice of you.

While the game emphasizes that you are to use a variety of classes in order to complete the game, it is mostly possible to use nothing more than a sniper and a bodyguard, and to go in guns blazing.
Having not included a configurable controls menu also hurts the overall score, since, while the pre-programmed button configurations are mostly intuitive, gamers like myself like to be able to map weapon buttons to home row keys for easy access.
In retrospect, more time should have been allotted to developing a realistic system of AI, as well as implementing an options menu, which would allow for at least some configuration. Hopefully these issues will be addressed in an upcoming patch.

It has been a while since gamers have been able to enjoy a 2D isometric game. While the majority of the ideas executed within "Beyond the Law: The Third Wave" were implemented with good intent, not enough fine-tuning was done in order to make the game as playable as it should have been. Sadly, impressive graphical styles as well as moving orchestration in the game's menus are not able to save the Magnum's latest offering from its gameplay flaws. Fans of the genre, yearning for new missions, will pick this one up without delay, while casual gamers might opt to pass it up for a game with a more configurable control scheme. If you are tired of replaying the same "Commandos" missions over and over, go to your local videogame retailer, and purchase "Beyond the Law: The Third Wave" for an afternoon of fun.