Gaming Target - Xbox: Wreckless: The Yakuza Missions

Written by Adam Woolcott on December 14, 2001

First Impressions: Hey look out! SPLAT... Oh well, never mind.

As the Xbox takes its baby steps into the console world, fighting for a place alongside Sony and Nintendo, we start seeing games that really show the true potential of the super system. Sure, games like Halo and DOA 3 look jaw dropping, but they still are only 1st generation games on what's unquestionably the most powerful system available. However, as we near 2002, an interesting game begins to rear its head; one of the first games to really show what the Xbox can do. This game is Wreckless (formerly known as Double S.T.E.A.L, whatever that means), and when all's said and done, this could be one of the freshest УracingФ games in quite a while.

What's incredible about Wreckless is that it's the very first game ever developed by Japan's Bunkasha. The company is better known for publishing magazines for Japanese audiences, namely magazines such as Penthouse (the Japanese version of course), along with other adult magazines. For a first time game developer to get this much out of a system is fascinating. The game started as a GeForce 3 demo for some contest, but eventually it shifted to being a full-fledged game for the Xbox. And it looks like doing this was a very bright idea.

Wreckless has a story that involves two separate quests and storylines; two cops are out to destroy the Yakuza (basically the Japanese Mafia... if you've played Grand Theft Auto 3 you know what I mean), and another pair of morons, also, who wind up somewhat in the same situation. The setting is Hong Kong, and it is painstakingly recreated in this game.

I hesitate to call Wreckless a УracingФ game, because you don't race Ц it's more of a Уuse a vehicle to drive around and smash stuff if necessaryФ type of game. It's more of an action game if anything, in the vein as Spy Hunter, Crazy Taxi, and GTA 3.

There are a handful of cars to choose from; from little buggies to fast sports cars, there's even a fully functional tank that can blow the crap out of anything that gets in your way. Most likely there may be more cars added, or unlockable, once the game is released, but until then, six cars is actually plenty. However, it's possible you have to use a set car for each mission, so you may be stuck. Hopefully though, there will be some sort of Уfree runФ where you can race around with each car and see all the different landscapes.

Of course, with a name like Wreckless, there has to be buttloads of crashes; indeed, there are, and they look great. Hitting certain parts of the car will dent steel, break windows, or just plain rip a door straight off the car. Everything is done realistically and never looks fake. Even the AI cars around you have all the exact same physics and will react to being hit in the same way. Considering there may be up to 300 cars in the area at one time, that feat is simply amazing when you imagine the amount of computer processing power it requires.

The rest of the visuals are simply stunning Ц incredible lighting effects and a fully recreated bustling town of Hong Kong. In some ways, the game simply looks completely real. And to imagine this is still considered 1st generation softwareЕ