Giants: Citizen Kabuto was originally released for the PC in December 2000. At that time it garnered critical acclaim and numerous awards for its tight graphics and unique multi-genre gameplay. Even one year after its launch, the game continues to receive praise from press and gamers alike. Therefore, the premise of a PS2 port seemed like a good idea. The PS2 iteration launched late last year in middle of a hectic holiday season. We finally got around to playing through it and were pleasantly surprised and greatly humored.

Graphically speaking, Giants will probably not turn too many heads. It is not as if the visuals are bad but rather under developed considering the potential of the PS2. We felt it could have used a lot more work to spruce it up to now what we are used to from the holiday titles like MGS2, Jax and Daxter and Half Life. Nevertheless, what has been presented works well and still delivers a better than average visual experience. Level design is colorfully detailed and large in scope. Players have a lot of space to cover in each area. Even though the game is linear in nature, each level has enough freedom to explore and play around a bit. The character and enemy designs are pleasant enough but could have used more polygons to give a higher sense of detail. Although the visuals do not impress, the voice work and script have to be one of the best ever created. Interplay, the game's publisher, has a good eye for getting development houses who have a great sense of humor. As with past titles like MDK, Giants has some of the "Did that just happen!?" kind of humor. The mostly British cast pulls off a great performance that really makes Giants worth playing through.

The gameplay was something different when Giants was first released back in 2000. The premise is to play as three unique species including the technologically powerful, hard partying Meccs, the ethereal and magical Sea Reapers, and the virtually unstoppable behemoth known as Kabuto. The gameplay formula does not impress as it once did. There are over 45 missions split among the three species. While each mission has variance, the game comes down to an in depth shooting and slashing experience. At times we wondered if we were ever going to finish a level. Thankfully, the humor kept us plugging away. Most of your time is spent in a third-person perspective with the odd first person mission thrown in. Of the three species, we found Kabuto to be the most fun and gratifying. There is nothing like taking a monster tromping through an area crushing little annoying creatures and destroying landscapes. The 45 or so missions should keep you busy for 30 to 25 hours of gameplay.

In the end Giants: Citizen Kabuto is a humorous experience that just lacks the depth and gameplay mechanics needed to take it into the next level of action/adventure games. Regardless, before the Spring and Summer onslaught of titles arrive, be sure to spend some time with Giants yourself.