Being a video game journalist, I'm not one to approach the real-time topics that other journalists are able to tackle, either on an overhyped report on CNN or Fox News or in a news report that has an unrelenting, can't-look-away style mantra to it. But I have feelings, like everyone else, as well as my own little set of fears and beliefs as to what's going on in the world. I'll spare you my own personal thoughts, though, as this isn't the place to express it. But I'll tell you, having that feeling of worry (or, in some cases, all-out dread) carry over into a video game just adds a deal of depth to it, and makes the experience that much more gripping. That's what Urban Chaos: Riot Response is all about.

The game has a storyline that hits pretty close to home, although names have been changed to kind of give a fictional spin on the matter. In the game, you take control of a soldier by the name of Nick Mason, who's the leader of a corporate-backed police squad known as T-Zero, and it's their main assignment to counter a group known as the Burners, an Al Qaeda-esque group that is hellbent on bringing the city to their knees. And we're not talking a terrorist group that is cheesily painted out like any given Chuck Norris or basic-cable film. No, these guys are serious and let you know it in a series of their releases and plans, and it's up to you as a member of T-Zero to bring them down, using whatever weapons are necessary to save the innocents, capture the ringleaders, and kill everyone else.

The interesting aspect of Urban Chaos is the pressure surrounding you during the gameplay. You can't just run in, guns blazing, expecting to save the day. No, you have a weight on your shoulders (probably from the corporate folks) that require you to have a thinking process going, so you can save the certain amount of innocents and keep the particular scumbags alive, as much as you want to send them out your way. You can go and just clear the room, but it has a severe anti-hero feeling that hangs over your head and has an effectiveness as to how you earn medals and unlock rewards, such as new weaponry.

Fortunately, you have some tools of the trade that help you out with such decisions, such as an effective stun gun that can merely knock out those you wish to save, and can also be turned up for some lethal doses that can literally cook an enemy. There's also a riot shield that comes in handy for deflecting bullets and keeping you and your cohort safe, if only for a little while. The game also allows you to work in a partnering system with a different party in each of the missions, such as a police officer (who can replenish lost ammunition and cover your back), a fireman (who can break down doors and help you carry wounded survivors), and a paramedic (who serves you out health additions to keep you alive). The game also features TV reports that lay down level details for you, although they're annoyingly close to the kind of broadcasts you see on CNN or Fox News. Maybe that was the point, some kind of satire to resemble how overblown TV media has become. Oh, well.

The gameplay is terrific, and can be downright gripping at times in the middle of a heated firefight, and to have the ethics of your character weigh in during each gun battle is actually something that heightens the experience, even giving you a slight sense of worry. Sure, there's those guilty pleasure moments, such as earning a headshot on a shotgun-wielding Burner, but they surprisingly weigh out with the tension to bring forth an experience you just don't see in first-person shooters that much. Most of the time, you can blaze through an FPS and think you're a God. Here, you're constantly reminded of your humanity, and the game works better for it.

The graphics look surprisingly well done for an Xbox title, smoothed over and filled with little details here and there to give the game a visual heft. It's a little overdone on the American themes (with flags waving and all that), but never to the point of full-on ridiculousness. Dark, gritty level designs conquer throughout, and enemies move as they should, with plenty of smarts on their side. The audio is just as well done, complete with thorough voice acting that has been executed well (it hits the mark to the point that expletives come well into play), great music, and explosive sound effects that really make it sound like you're in the middle of a war zone.

The game does have several difficulty levels to choose from, but the game clearly isn't out to please the easy set. The enemies actually do a bit of thinking here, using their Molotov cocktails to great effect to take down your shield and then firing at you with great accuracy. Playing in Elite mode is best recommended for the hardcore shooting set, as that not only allows you to rack up more medals in a mission, but gets you that much closer to unlocking more elite gear, including some weapons that are clearly remembered for their utter firepower. This game wasn't built for a cake walk experience, so take that as you will.

Multiplayer is just great fun, as you can take on friends via Xbox Live and actually choose sides if you wish, taking the dreaded side of the Burners to unleash hell on the anti-crime unit or jumping into the T-Zero team and sending them to their proper place. It's fast and frantic, with a number of scenarios to choose from for the best fights, and the use of strategic weapons comes into play very well here. That Molotov/riot shield balancing has never been spelled out better as it is here. Throw a Molotov in the wrong place and you're screwed. Pitch it right at their shield (or, wilder yet, their feet) and you have a better result.

Urban Chaos: Riot Response is unlike most FPS games you've experienced. Its storyline is so much more involving than most games of this type (and fortunately not involving any stupid martians, but rather real-thinking chaotic types), and its gameplay and presentation speak volumes themselves. Furthermore, the multiplayer is meaty and fast-paced. It's clearly not for everyone, especially those who want to get away from real-world problems as much as possible, but those looking for a more involving game experience would do well to join in with the Chaos.