Urban Chaos: Riot Response is a first-person shooter that has you playing as a member of T-Zero, an antigang police force specializing in urban combat. We've seen what the single-player is all about in our previous previews, but we recently got a chance to check out the online multiplayer in the PlayStation 2 version of the game.

　　You can choose to play as the T-Zero team or the Burners in eight-player team battles.

　　The game supports eight-player team matches, and each team has a different objective depending on the map. The two teams are the T-Zero team and the Burners. Both teams have unique strengths and weaknesses that you'll want to take into account when choosing sides. The T-Zero officers have the benefit of a riot shield, which can be used to block attacks or bash enemies. The shield can really give you an advantage in gunfights, although it appears to take damage over time and it doesn't block fire, which is the Burners' primary weapon. If you choose to play as one of the Burners, you'll get a supply of Molotov cocktails in lieu of a shield. These makeshift incendiaries can inflict major damage, but you have to be careful where you throw them because it's easy to light your own teammates on fire when you're in close-quarters situations.

　　Once you decide which team you want to be on, you can choose a weapon to use. The two teams have access to some of the same weapons, although certain weapons, such as the T-Zero's shotgun and the Burners' grenade launcher, are exclusive to one team. Other weapons we saw included dual Uzis, an assault rifle, and a magnum. It seems that you don't have a distinct advantage based on your choice of weapon, so the game appears to be well balanced in that sense. The grenade launcher is powerful but takes a long time to reload. The Uzis fire fast and can hold a lot of rounds, but they aren't powerful enough to guarantee that you'll kill your enemy before he kills you.

　　The battles are all timed, requiring you to meet a specific objective depending on which team you're playing for. There were nine maps in the build of the game that we played, with three basic setups. Some maps require you to destroy or defend armored transport vehicles, some require you to control a contested zone for a certain amount of time, and others require you to rescue or keep hostages until the clock runs out. The first level we played took place in a city square, where the Burners spawned in one derelict apartment building across a courtyard from where the T-Zero officers spawned in a similar derelict apartment building. The objective was to take control of the courtyard and maintain control until the timer ran out. Another level took place in a burned-out industrial complex where the Burners had taken three hostages. The T-Zero officers had to run in and escort each hostage back to a safe zone, while, of course, the Burners had to prevent that from happening. Once all the hostages were secured, the T-Zeroes simply had to eliminate all the surviving Burners to win the round.

　　While you certainly can just run and gun, you'll be much more effective if you take a tactical approach to the multiplayer matches. The selection of weapons lets you assign each team member a specific task based on the strengths of each weapon. For example, on the level where we had to take control of the courtyard, one of our teammates stood on the balcony and used an assault rifle to pick off approaching enemies, while another used the shotgun and shield combination to defend his position in the courtyard.

　　The levels all stick closely to the urban combat theme, with lots of burned-out buildings and dark, gritty cityscapes. The maps are fairly small, which keeps the action moving at a brisk pace. You can expect to die early and often, but when you do, it doesn't take long at all to get back into the action once you respawn. There doesn't seem to be any penalty for spawn camping, which makes it an easy and viable way to suppress your enemies (and probably make new ones). The action is so fast that you'll receive a constant stream of messages about whose head was just blown off or who was just incinerated.

　　The Burners get Molotov cocktails, and the T-Zero officers get handy riot shields.

　　The violent imagery doesn't end at the colorful frag announcements, either. There's plenty of blood and rag dolls in effect on the battlefield, and the kills tend to be exaggeratedly brutal. The game isn't any more violent than your average shooter, but it has an especially dark and gritty aesthetic similar to that of a game like Manhunt. The extreme subject matter, while certainly over the top and not at all realistic, is treated with an unusual candor that makes it feel all the more threatening. It's an interesting way to present what is otherwise a fairly standard shooter.

　　Urban Chaos: Riot Response seems poised to offer a fast-paced multiplayer experience that fans of first-person tactical shooters will want to look out for. The action is intense and constantly moving, which keeps things exciting. We'll bring you more details on the game before it ships this summer.