The game is one of the shortest RPGs ever - at the time, it may have even been the shortest. It only lasts ten hours, which is ideal for a movie-type game but short for a typical RPG. Critics attacked the game based on its length, but that seems to be missing the point. The intent of the designers was to create an action- or detective-movie-like game with a short length, a short time span, and a whole lot of adrenaline-pumping action. And there's a lot of that last thing - the FMV imagery is absolutely horrific at times, and the scene with the horse is one of the most effective scenes in any game to date.

The game is helped by its fairly engaging science-fiction base, and moreover, by its use of real-life locations. It takes place in New York City, in a present-day setting, which gives the game a grounding in reality that makes it more immersive. The battle system produces a similar effect - you have to move around, waiting for your Final-Fantasy-like ATB gauge to fill - once it does, then you can target an enemy with all sorts of firearms. However, the battling doesn't sit very comfortably with the cinematic aspects of the game - after all, in an effective movie, you wouldn't see the heroine upgrading her armour or spending several minutes taking out one miserable enemy. The bonus dungeon (100 floors of pain) was a nice idea, but ends up being an exercise in tedium and frustration, and adds nothing to the plot. In the end, the game part detracts from the movie part, and the movie part detracts from the game part. It's worth playing once, but you're as unlikely to return to it as you are to watch that summer action blockbuster from five years ago again.