First Impressions:

Graphics:

The graphics are extremely enjoyable, full of detail and variety. When you start up Kingpin, you feel as if you've been transported into a back alley in the bad part of town and the feeling never lets up. Whether you are making your way up a decrepit stairway or sneaking through a steamy steel mill, the environment is full of lighting and textures that seem realistic.

Another interesting thing to note is the pain skin. Each segment of the body of your thugs has two pain skins representing how injured the person is. The bloodier they are, the more likely they are to keel over on your next shot. While this may cause a performance strain on some systems, it really does add to the overall game.

I did find it terribly distracting that in their attempt at realistic character movement they put so much action into the surfaces of items. For example, if you stand and look at a character as their body sways back and forth nonchalantly, you will notice that they have an almost liquid appearance to them. It makes the character look like a water-filled doll rather than a solid being.

Sound/Music:

I'm going to start with a bit of a rant here. I hopped into a multiplayer game using GameSpy and was just getting the hang of the game when I realized I was using the male model. So I switch to female (and I must say the variety of skins you can wear is cool) and get back in the game. As I jump on the boxes, I sound emanates from my character that is not unlike a groan in a porno. I jump again and wouldn't you know it, there's that moan again. Some of the female sounds could easily be confused with the mating call of a wild animal, including her death where she kind of sighs and moans at the same time and then collapses. I was not impressed.

With that out of the way, let's talk about the rest of the sounds. The mood music is provided by Cypress Hill, and it does a great job of bringing the hood to your home. This is amplified by the various taunts and swearing that every character in the game will greet you with.

For the most part the ambient sounds realistically and accurately match your surroundings. If you hit a cardboard box it makes a muffled thunk and if you hit a wooden box, the sound is more solid. The echoes are great in hallways and such and when you get into the sewers, the dripping water makes you shiver.

Gameplay:

The storyline is pretty shallow. Your whole purpose is to get back at the Kingpin for the attempted and severely botched disposal of your person. And while that ultimate goal doesn't waiver all that much and the general intent is always there, there doesn't appear to be much to it. You don't know why it is he wanted to dispose of you or why someone he thought was so harmless could possibly sneak in and overrun his defenses. I know, this is just a game and therefore does not follow standard logic but still…

Throughout the game there are tasks you must complete. Some give you new weapons and armor while some are required to even hire a thug. For the most part, these tasks add to the gameplay although sometimes I wonder why you'd want to help these people. In one case you help this guy find out what happened to his girlfriend. I guess deep down you are just a nice guy.

The cut scenes throughout the game were enjoyable as you overheard conversations and managed to get through one turf and move on to the next. They blended well into the game… after overhearing a conversation in the back room of a building, you later get to bust in on the meeting and take out your foes. It was great to actually recognize the rooms and the people in it.

Something in the single player game I really appreciated was the little notebook that would update with important information. If you're not up on ghetto-speak (and I am not) it can be hard to glean the important information from the people you talk to throughout the game. This little notebook would capture the general idea of what the person was saying in a very believable "Note-To-Self" format.

Enjoyment:

I thoroughly enjoyed this game. It was realistic to someone outside of the gang society. As one person said who was watching me play while not knowing what the game was, "It's dark… looks like someone threw you into the bad part of town or something…"

Also, while I was at it I tried out the "Rated G" version of the game. I'm sorry, but this is a poor attempt to soften the harshness of a completely violent and verbally abusive game. The bleeping out of the swearing was annoying and I can't imagine playing the whole game that way. Beating on someone with the lead pipe still made the same squishy, body-smashing sound just without the blood.

Oh, and did I mention the female sounds were pornographic? Yes… I think I did.

Multiplayer:

When I logged on to my first multiplayer game I was prepared for the worst - poor server code, slow movement, inability to see your opponent - and was pleasantly surprised to be met with the opposite. Not only is the network code for this game done well (based on the Q2 engine it should be, right?) but I found myself completely enjoying the game.

Another part of multiplayer I enjoyed is the highly customizable player look. Instead of switching just one skin for an overall look, you can switch the head, torso and legs of your character. I got a kick out of the Q3 Arena jersey skins.

Overall Impression:

This is an enjoyable and unique game based on my experiences thus far. While the language and gore may be offensive to some, I must admit I rather enjoyed it. It's a change of pace from the standard cautious FPSs that scare the general public. Now if only they would change the female sounds. :c)

Marketing Efforts Towards Women:

The few attempts at marketing I saw had nothing to do with women. I think the closest they came was the inclusion of the female character image somewhere on the setup screen within the game itself. This game's marketing seems to be focused at those who want to be gangsters but don't have the guts or the stupidity to do so.

Dr. Kathryn Wright's Comments

I could not resist saying a few words about this game, as it is being hyped as one of the most gory and violent games ever made.

First, a few caveats. I can appreciate that some gamers enjoy violent action games. Activities that are enjoyed by consenting adults, that do not hurt others, are "fair game" in my book. I am not a fan of censorship, and do not advocate that violent games be eradicated. It does not bother me that this game genre exists as a gaming option for adults.

However, it does bother me that hyperviolent, gory games such as Kingpin continue to dominate the market, overshadowing other gaming choices, and that consumers and game developers keep upping the ante on the levels of violence and gore. Clearly many people like violent games, or they would not sell. Yet I wonder how many other types of games, without violent themes, are not being made out of fear that they will not make money.

In addition, Kingpin's gangland theme bothers me. Kingpin is a game where the player acts as a gangbanger/thug, sees out of the thug's eyes, beats up and kills other street-tough characters, and navigates a dark world of back alleys, seedy establishments, and violence. Thus, as Trillian mentioned in her review, the theme of Kingpin is more realistic than other games, in that it deals with a world that does exist (inner city gang violence). Other action games are typically set in fantastical environments like dungeons, castles, and alien planets. This serves to bracket the game violence from reality, at least on some level.

As a psychologist, I have worked with inner city youth and adults from "the wrong side of town" who are plagued by gang violence, and it is not a joke. Gang violence is all too real. It seems that Kingpin is, in its own way, glorifying gang violence; making it cool, amusing, fun. Trillian's comment about how the game is marketed speaks to this: "this game's marketing seems to be focused at those who want to be gangsters but don't have the guts or the stupidity to do so."

A game that allows players to step into a gang warfare situation in an inner city environment, however stereotypical and cartoon-like it may be, and allows players to pretend they are gangbangers, is dealing with situations that exist, and this seems regrettable to me. It makes me wonder what realistic situations will be depicted next in games, in the name of entertainment.

I feel all the more strongly about this when I consider that children under the recommended age for Kingpin, i.e. under 17 years of age, have easy access to these types of games. Mature, consenting adults playing violent action games is one thing, children playing games with content not suitable for their developmental stage is another. Although the game boxes make it very clear that they contain mature and violent themes, and are intended for adults only (and Kingpin is no exception), this is evidently not enough to keep the games out of the hands of children. I believe that increased regulation on game sales and marketing to children is necessary, as well as increased public education about games and the rating systems. The glorification of gang violence that occurs in Kingpin would certainly be a detrimental message for our nation's youth, many of whom are already struggling with issues of violence in their lives.