Gaming Target - Xbox: Alias

Written by John Scalzo on August 06, 2003

First Impressions: I don't think James Bond could pull off the fire engine red hair and mini-skirt and still be cool.

Ever since the early days of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, critics have anointed subsequent female heroines "Buffy with ____." But when it came time to classify the heroine of Alias, the critics were stumped. Sydney Bristow was more than just a Buffy superwoman clone, she was a real person who just also happened to be a top secret government spy. You wouldn't think J.J. Abrams, the brainchild behind Felicity, could create such a unique character and such an amazing world. But it does explain both show's fascination with hair.

Tying to explain the twists and turns and the overall pervasive confusion that is the Alias plotline would take weeks. This is not the show for the casual viewer. The plot has wrapped around itself so tight that the show has undergone two "reboots" just to try help new viewers keep up. But through it all each piece makes complete sense in terms of the last piece. There are no wild contradictions. There are no insane leaps of logic or storylines that betray beloved characters. Everything, even events that are totally unexpected, feels like the next logical step. This is the genius of the show.

But what is genius without an equally great cast backing it up? And not surprisingly, Alias shines here too. The way the cast performs the rapid fire dialogue which makes the show work wouldn't be as good with any other set of actors. And Acclaim has signed all of them to lend their voices to the game. Jennifer Garner (Sydney Bristow), Michael Vartan (Agent Michael Vaughn), Victor Garber (Jack Bristow), Ron Rifkin (Arvin Sloane), Carl Lumbly (Agent Marcus Dixon), Kevin Weisman (Marshall) and David Anders (Mr. Sark) have all signed on to provide their voices to the game.

Alias the game is also playing up two more huge pieces of the TV show: stealth based missions and full on crazy fight scenes. Most missions will involve Sydney having to silently ad stealthily navigate the level trying to complete her objectives. The game will also often use a split screen view when Sydney is sneaking around a level so you can keep an eye on her and on the guard she's hiding from. Almost like a spy sixth sense that all secret agents seem to have. But when venturing out into the levels just like on the show the missions will involve knocking out guards, taking out security cameras, using the many different gadgets Marshall (Alias' version of Q) supplies you, and of course the costumes. No Alias game would be complete without a range of different disguises for Sydney to use to infiltrate her target. Acclaim has said there will be at least twelve disguises that Sydney will be able to use.

Of course, even with her disguises and gadgets a lowly guard always manages to stumble upon Sydney's mission. This is where the soundtrack swells, Sydney drops to a karate stance and the ass kicking begins. Acclaim has said that all of the fight moves have been motion captured so they'll all look great and the fights are structured in such a way that almost anything can happen. This is made possible through the fact that Sydney has an almost unlimited number of moves. Throws, kicks, punches, counters, knee drop to the chest, spinning karate moves, basically everything but the kitchen sink. Wait, do you want the kitchen sink? Well that's good because almost all of the environments you'll sneak through are fully interactive. Like that chair over there? Take it and knock out this guard. That potted plant? Pretend it's a baseball bat. If even some of Acclaim's, well claims, come true then the possibilities really are endless.

While the game is still early the graphics already look very sharp. The levels themselves feature a lot of detail and the there are some very cool lighting effects that will make hiding in shadows a big part of the game. Sydney herself looks great (and being based on Jennifer Garner why shouldn't she?). And all of her moves look fantastic.

But while Alias has always had some fantastic eye candy, the meat was always in the plot. The game will take place during the second season, shortly after Sloane and Mr. Sark have formed their partnership against the CIA. Sydney is called in when a rival agent, Anna Espinosa, is spotted in the same Monte Carlo casino where a CIA agent has been killed. Just like the show this mission will take Sydney all of the world, including Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Rio de Janeiro, and Romania. An opportunity to join the show Firefly (another great show that is now unjustly canceled) caused Gina Torres to leave Alias after the first season and her character Anna was just left hanging. While we may not hear her voice, I know fans of the show will be eager to find out what happened to Anna. But if the timeline is right this game totally kills my theory.

And if Kevin Weisman's E3 interview is to be believed, then we're also going to see Sydney fighting a brainwashed Marshall. And there's just no way that can't be fun.