Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 34
  2. Negative: 3 out of 34
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  1. Play Magazine
    83
    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. [Nov 2004, p.74]
  2. 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.
  3. Most of the game is nicely done, but the bad AI kills what could’ve been a real must-buy.
  4. Pelaaja (Finland)
    80
    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. [May 2005, p 80]
  5. 78
    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.
  6. Pelit (Finland)
    77
    An average action-adventure. One for the fans. [Aug. 05]
  7. Weekly Famitsu
    73
    7 / 7 / 8 / 7 - 29 [Vol 795; 12 Mar 2004]
  8. Game Informer
    73
    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. [Dec 2004, p.175]
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. PSM Magazine
    70
    The game is fun, and the story - while sometimes opaqe because of all the techno-talk - is engaging, mostly due to the great cinemas. [Holiday 2004, p.73]
  13. GMR Magazine
    70
    As anime-based games go, there have been far worse. Unfortunately, there have also been better. [Dec 2004, p.125]
  14. 70
    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.
  15. 70
    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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. 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.
  21. Doesn't have the action you'd expect from the name. It plays more like a platformer game at times mixed with the idea of stealth action. Along with the frustrating controls the game makes it hard for gamers to get into.
  22. Those familiar with the series are likely to feel right at home thanks to GitS's nicely designed 3d environments that appear to have been ripped straight from the TV series...In the end though it's the gameplay that matters. And in that regard Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex has come up decidedly average.
  23. It's a professionally executed but thoroughly conventional action game that's more tepid than it is thrilling.
  24. Levels can be bland at times, but there's some breathtaking aerial work to be performed...A difficult and sometimes frustrating ride; however, it is engrossing and ambitious.
  25. An interesting ride that takes only a few short hours to complete. Even with a few unlockable items, and a rather inane multiplayer romp that is forgotten almost before it begins, this game seems destined for obscurity.
  26. The derivative visuals, unoriginal gameplay, bare-bones multiplayer mode and annoying BGM make this an amusing weekend rental, but that’s it.
  27. 60
    Rent. You can play through the game in an afternoon and still get to your weekly "Magic: The Gathering" tournament on time.
  28. Cheat Code Central
    60
    Action is plentiful, in terms of shooting, but we don't really become immersed in this futuristic world. The linear nature and the repetitiveness of the gameplay make you feel as though you're just going through the motions - which of course you are.
  29. What the game could have done with is more content and a darned sight more polish – both of which it severely lacks.
  30. A large stock of firearms is available but a steady thumb is required because there is no auto-targeting.
  31. Ghost in the Shell only works when it comes to the voicecast, which is pulled straight from the show's voicecast.
  32. Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
    40
    Apparently, it never occurred to anyone at Cavia that using a first-person shooter setup to control a game seen in the third person is a little like putting "Resident Evil"-style controls in a "Mario" game: technically possible but deeply stupid. [Dec 2004, p.102]
  33. 40
    Nothing but the sum of its parts -- a mediocre action game painted up with some licensed characters and a recognizable name on the box. Fans of the property deserve better.
  34. Spend the cash on the DVD instead to avoid certain disappointment.

Awards & Rankings

96
#96 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2004
User Score
6.6

Mixed or average reviews- based on 21 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 21
  2. Negative: 4 out of 21
  1. Feb 5, 2023
    5
    In the beginning of the game, I didn't know what to do because I didn't watch that tutorial I would highly recommended ,

    The best thing about
    In the beginning of the game, I didn't know what to do because I didn't watch that tutorial I would highly recommended ,

    The best thing about the game is the music it's so good and a sound effects it just keep you running through it.

    Entertaining the combat is on the enemies bleed and they fall quickly but they begin to get armour in the later half of the game and they become so intolerable to kill that it's become faster To run past the enemies to the objective.

    Platforming is there it is a thing you have to interact with to come past the game and I have almost no words for it because it just feels kind of there and annoying to do.

    My wearing of this game is if you're fighting for cheap and you on anyway interested in the cavia work, then I would recommend it.
    Full Review »
  2. Sep 6, 2019
    6
    Awkward controls, animation, NPC models, and bad multiplayer. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who is not a fan of the original series. TheAwkward controls, animation, NPC models, and bad multiplayer. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who is not a fan of the original series. The game is decent but nothing special. With some extra tuning this game could have been good Full Review »
  3. Apr 11, 2017
    3
    On attend beaucoup d'une adaptation d'une licence aussi célèbre que Ghost In The Shell, on est forcément un peu sévère mais tout de même,On attend beaucoup d'une adaptation d'une licence aussi célèbre que Ghost In The Shell, on est forcément un peu sévère mais tout de même, toute la maniabilité du jeu est à revoir : les sauts sont un calvaire ; il faut rester appuyé sur R1 pour s'accrocher à un rebord (sinon on tombe !) ou pour monter à une connerie d'échelle (!) ; les commandes par défaut attribuent les capacités offensives à gauche : tous les Japonais sont-ils gauchers ? c'est quoi ce bordel ?...

    Viser au sniper tient de la gageure, l'imprécision et les saccades se conjuguant au pluriel... et les ennemis sont cons comme des balais. Ces putains de points de sauvegarde sont aussi trop espacés et enfin, le piratage de ghosts utilise un mini-jeu qui réclame des nano-réflexes, rien que ça... on est pas des cyborgs, nous !

    Dommage tout cela, car c'est correct graphiquement et la Motoko est bien animée. Les voix anglaises font le boulot, le mélange armes à feu / baston fonctionne assez bien mais voilà, les programmeurs sont des incapables. Mieux vaut se revisionner la série SAC, ça au moins c'est toujours de la qualité !
    Full Review »