State of Emergency

State of Emergency is a controversial 2002 action-adventure video game released by Rockstar Games. It was developed by Scottish firm VIS Entertainment for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows.

Reception
State of Emergency was released to mixed reviews. The game's strengths were considered to be value for money as a budget title, the simplistic fun offered, the technical achievement of having hundreds of people running around on a modest system, and the satirical sense of humour. Weaknesses cited include gameplay that might be considered too simple, and a poor multi-player mode on the PC. Versions were planned for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Dreamcast, and Nintendo Gamecube were planned, but ultimatly cancelled.


 * Gamezone: 6.8 out of 10
 * IGN: 6.6 out of 10
 * Gamer's Hell: 6 out of 10
 * PC Zone: 62%
 * GameSpot: 7.2 out of 10

The PlayStation 2 version met with more positive reviews.
 * IGN: 8.3
 * GameSpot: 8.5

A sequel, State of Emergency 2 was released in 2006. This game was again developed by VIS Entertainment ltd although after they became insolvent and went into administration the game was completed by DC Studios and was released by SouthPeak Interactive.

Controversy
The game was denounced by Washington state politicians for its similarity to the real-life 1999 World Trade Organization riots and protests in Seattle which caused $3 million in damages. The game features the fictional "American Trade Organization" as the antagonistic establishment.