First Released: 2006 (PS2)
Now Available On: N/A
24 has never failed to deliver edge-of-your-seat suspense with a generous side helping of guilty pleasure, and the show's revival series is proving no exception.
When Sony teamed up with 2K Games to bring Jack Bauer to PlayStation 2 in 2006, the end result was much the same - an entertaining offering with obvious flaws.
24: The Game did a lot of things right, from the way it captured the look and feel of the Fox show to the varied gameplay it offered, but these qualities were offset against some major drawbacks.
Taking place between season two and three of the show, the game nailed the tone and style of its gogglebox counterpart, borrowing its signature split-screen perspective, creeping camerawork and clock updates.
A tight script and strong voice acting from the show's cast, including the ever-reliable Kiefer Sutherland, gave24: The Game the kind of authenticity that most licensed properties sorely lack.
Standard third-person shooting served as the meat of the experience, but it wasn't just about picking off terrorists in hostile territory amid the occasional cry of "damn it" from an on-edge Jack Bauer.
The developers went to great lengths to represent every facet of 24 by incorporating stealth, driving, interrogation, hacking mini-games and more into the mix.
Unfortunately, Sony's attempt to blend multiple genres was about as successful as Kim Bauer's efforts to stay out of trouble.
The stealth segments were nothing that hadn't been done more competently in series such as Metal Gear Solid and Splinter Cell, and the less said about the horrendous physics and handling during vehicular sections the better.
Puzzles were rarely challenging or even interesting, but the interrogation sequences were entertaining thanks to the punchy dialogue. Hearing Jack Bauer bark threats of torture at trembling suspects isn't likely too get old any time soon.
While the core shooter levels were fun and suspenseful for the most part, they were let down by dodgy camera angles and poor enemy AI.
The graphics varied dramatically across gameplay types, with character models during cutscenes resembling their counterparts from the TV show as accurately as the PS2 hardware allowed.
Shooter segments looked polished enough, but the driving stages let the side down on this front too, marred by poor texture detail and frame-rate issues.
24: The Game is one of those titles where the cutscenes actually outshone the gameplay, such was the quality of the story it had to tell and its dedication to the source material.
It was easy to get excited when one of these cinematics cropped up, not least because they usually signalled the end of a repetitive mission or a horrible driving sequence.
As disjointed as the experience was, this was a game with redeeming features that found favour with 24addicts, serving as a lost season of sorts.
The graphics haven't aged especially well and many of 24: The Game's shortcomings are even more apparent when viewed in the current generation, but if you're a fan of the show, we recommend tracking this one down for the story alone.
While Jack Bauer's on-screen future hinges on the success of comeback series 24: Live Another Day, nobody is holding their breath for another console outing.
But we for one would welcome another 24 game. Wouldn't it be great to see Telltale Games give the property the same treatment it gaveThe Walking Dead?
Now, who fancies getting the ball rolling on a petition?