Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex (2004) Critic Reviews

Injects skillfully deployed melee combat infiltration, platforming and a wealth of well-honed play mechanics into a sortie-based operation that puts the player on the receiving end of intel direct from Section 9 itself.

It's by no means a fantastic game, but it satisfied my urge to blow stuff up, and even though it didn't necessarily last long, I was entertained for most of the time.

Most of the game is nicely done, but the bad AI kills what could’ve been a real must-buy.

Stand Alone Complex lives on its good looks and famous anime licence only. As a game, it’s so average in every other aspect that it’s not even funny.

This game is good, but could have been much better. A longer story and less sound on the next one will make it a "top of its field" game.

An average action-adventure. One for the fans.

There were so many aspects of this game that showed promise, but I winced in pain as I watched each one fail to attain noteworthy heights.

7 / 7 / 8 / 7 - 29

Expertly produced with enough sheen in all the right places to make it worth your while, but still flawed enough to be a bit disappointing.

The game has a complex plot and a decent idea with the hacking ID element, but for the most part this is a typical shooter. Stylish graphics are not enough to overcome that.

I really wanted to enjoy this game. And, well, you can, if you just watch someone play it. Because actually playing Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is pretty boring.

Even with its too-standard approach, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex is still one of the best treatments given to anime-based games we've seen in a long time.

The game is fun, and the story - while sometimes opaqe because of all the techno-talk - is engaging, mostly due to the great cinemas.

As anime-based games go, there have been far worse. Unfortunately, there have also been better.

A well-done action game that has a distinct style and some strong graphics...It's just that the overall experience comes up short and only gives a tease of giving players more of an active role in the story itself.

This title isn’t what I’d call really good, but it’s a satisfying pickup if you are a serious Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex fan, otherwise I’d say pass.

Because of the very convoluted and hard to understand story it knocks the game back a few notches in the enjoyment factor. Running blindly through a game is never as fun as having a reason to do so.

A bloodstock as strong as Ghost in the Shell deserved a more considered treatment but it just joins an ever-increasing list of third person cannon fodder.

After a while it’ll begin feeling like you’re playing the game in auto pilot, but that won’t last long because, well, the game doesn’t last all that long.

Diehard fans of the "Ghost in the Shell" series will likely want to play through it at least once in order to dissect more of the series' story. Otherwise, I would say this game is only for people who really like shooters, and even then, it's a moderately short game.