EA arguably had some of the best PlayStation 2 games at launch, and across multiple genres. X Squad is a cool Action game in the spirit of Syphon Filter or Metal Gear Solid, but with less in its favor. Like every EA game in PS2's lineup right now, X Squad looks like a million bucks. For a mission-based shooter set within a research facility in the year 2037, you can imagine what graphical elements really count. Lighting, weapons, level and character design...all look really sharp. If criticism falls anywhere, it's in the relative sameness of each level. Unlike the wildly different locales in Syphon Filter, X Squad looks more like the military-drab of Metal Gear Solid, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes character animations look goofy, but it's obvious that EA put a lot of time into designing realistic facial animations and enemy AI. All of the cut-scenes are well done, and the music is passable, if not extraordinary.

X Squad ostensibly takes the mission-based third-person shooter in a new direction. Controlling the main character, Ash, feels very similar to other games like Syphon Filter or MGS. The twist is that as leader of the elite tac-ops squad of 4, you give directives to the others as you progress through the game. The cooperative gameplay element is EA's trump card, but it proves to be somewhat of a disappointment. The story is that a government project has gone sour, so Ash and his team are inserted to find the truth and retrieve a prize scientist. Each level mainly comes down to blasting bad guys and reaching the finish line. You might have expected this, but you'll face off against a boss and then it's off to the next level.

As a single character, you have stealth and firepower for taking down the enemy. Generally, a combination of both works best, so you peek around corners and snipe when possible, reserving the 'go in with guns a blazing' tactic for major firefights. EA maintains a good balance in levels so that you work through rooms picking off enemies in ones or twos and then open the door to a complete squadron. In both modes of play, X Squad encourages you not to pull a Bruce Willis, but to command other members of your team. For hardcore fans of this genre, the transition may come with some difficulty, but imagine a cross between Rogue Spear and Solid Snake. Basically, Ash works with combinations of the other 3 squad members and has to issue commands during battle and in exploration of the level. It sounds more complicated than it is. All the other characters in X Squad will follow Ash's lead, so not issuing an order before rushing into battle doesn't keep the others from charging after you as backup. The times when cooperative play helps is when you're low on energy or ammo and want someone else to fight for you. Or, when you don't want anybody charging into a trap and ending up as a clay pigeon. Default behavior for squad members is to go where Ash goes and shoot anything that moves. At times, they'll suggest tactics or split away to do their own thing, but more often than not, they tag along behind you. And that's the problem. If X Squad were true to the potential this kind of gameplay has, it would make completion of a level much more dependent on the actions of the other squad members. As it is, you tend to fall back on the Syphon Filter-style gameplay and let the others do whatever. I imagined something more like the divergent paths in games like Resident Evil, where you actually take control of another character briefly to accomplish an objective. It's nice that you have other characters providing cover or scouting when you need it, but they feel too NPC'ish in the end.

As you gain points through each mission, the available weapons get ridiculously destructive. Control can be difficult to adjust to, but X Squad has auto-lock to help the learning curve of targeting with an analog stick. Unlike Syphon Filter, where bad guys didn't seem adept at aiming or shooting, X Squad baddies are crack shots. All this means is that beginners will spend more of their earned mission points on shields and health than weapons until fighting becomes second nature. Some control issues can lead to confusion, but nothing that will give you total meltdown.

X Squad has some interesting control elements and game items that spice up the action. Taking a page out of Syphon Filter's book, each squad member can use a protective shield that wears down without robbing health points. Once the shield is gone, health dwindles away and you eventually die, but shields can be refreshed and health restored. Each character can stock items, so the total amount of goods for the squad is huge. EA included a weight limit for each character, so not everyone can stock heavy weapons, but luckily there's one guy who is a total bruiser. Moving around is handled with one analog stick, aiming with another. This can be tough to manage in a wild firefight, but auto-lock helps. Default controller setup puts the 'fire' command on a shoulder button, which I found strange. The idea is that you can lean around corners slowly and pump a shot off, but those fat shoulder buttons ain't very good for rapid-fire action. Another shoulder button is the 'action' button for switches and climbing. Issuing commands is done by pressing a button and then choosing a command from a menu. You're then asked which person to command or given the option to command 'All.' To actually switch weapons for a character, you have to go into a pause menu, but the ability to issue commands on the fly is a cool feeling.

At least one weapon has unlimited ammo, but most need reloading. It's possible to buy ammo before each mission, but I was surprised how limited pick-ups are in each level. Health or shield power-ups are almost non-existent, so come prepared. Mission points to buy all this good stuff, including new weapons, are earned as a multiplier of accuracy, time to completion and number of enemies nailed. The variety of weapons is dizzying, so don't be afraid to experiment.

X Squad is a respectable showing for a genre otherwise empty at launch for PS2, but we've a ways to go before the next Metal Gear or Syphon Filter. There's plenty to enjoy for devotees of this style of game, including the fantastic graphics power of PS2 and some engaging action gameplay, but most newcomers expecting a religious conversion may remain agnostic after playing X Squad.