4 out of 10
Being a huge Jaws fan, I wanted to play Jaws Unleashed since it came out 2 years ago, but the game was always too highly priced for my wallet. There was no way I was going to pay $50 or even $10 bucks for a game I knew had really bad reviews. However 2 years later, I was lucky to find a used copy at a pawn shop for $6 bucks. For $6 bucks you can't go wrong? right?....... Anyway, let's just say I'm glad I did not buy this piece of rotten fish brand new, and I ended up with an extra Xbox case for $6 bucks.
The camera is the real killer in this game. Although playing as Jaws is a great idea for a game, the lack of camera control just ruins the fun. Controlling the shark is very,very frustrating because of the poor camera controls and you almost want to fire your controller across the room! You find yourself getting trapped under a boat or a pier most of the time. Sharks are good swimmers in real life, but in this game, swimming as the shark is completely retarded.
Although, the shark and underwater scenes look fine for a 2006 Xbox game, other objects in the game like people, boats, buildings etc look very N64-ish. Very square and blocky looking.
Jaws:Unleashed has some of the original film music throughout the game, but unfortunately there are some really annoying sound effects of people yelling or screaming which coat over the classic Jaws music.
In the underwater park level from the movie Jaws 3, I found myself dying a hell of a lot, and I didn't know why... Was the water in the pool area too warm for my cold blood? Did I get shot too much by the divers with the spear guns? Even when you die, the game is still confusing.
With all the major faults with this game, I did have some fun playing as the shark, eating swimmers,fish, and destroying boats. Such a great concept for a game. Too bad this one sinks to the bottom of the sea of terrible movie games. This game could be a really amazing playing experience, if done right. It deserves a re-make on one of the next gen systems, with better controls, graphics and sound. Enter the water at your own risk.
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