Jaws Unleashed

 PlayStation 2
Metascore
52

Mixed or average reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 29
  3. Negative: 15 out of 29
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  1. Worth Playing
    49
    What could have been a very neat idea is ruined by a bad camera, buggy gameplay, and totally ridiculous mission objectives.
  2. Game Informer
    48
    After this miserable showing, the only waters that Jaws will be patrolling are those of the great video game toilet. [Aug 2006, p.84]
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  3. Play UK
    48
    Dull and ever so slightly irritating. [Issue#146, p.95]
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  5. GameZone
    45
    JAWS Unleashed could’ve been a great game, given it’s unique premise and experienced developer. Unfortunately, the game is too buggy and has too many issues to make it one to recommend.
  6. Yahoo!
    40
    In the spirit of generosity, we'll offer that there's about 30 minutes of entertainment to be had.
  7. GameSpy
    40
    Spending 30 minutes aimlessly wondering around because you can't figure out what random part of the environment you're supposed to manipulate or sequence of moves to string together to topple a structure is unforgivable.
  8. Digital Entertainment News
    40
    Jaws Unleashed is a rather scant offering, but it could still be your new guilty pleasure. The field of shark simulators is rather narrow, and it’s entirely possible that Jaws Unleashed wins top honors just by showing up. Perfect for kicking back and turning your brain off, but not much more.
  9. Edge Magazine
    40
    With the exceptions of deplorably bad cutscenes and haphazard signposting, there are few significant flaws here that a steadier gestation couldn’t have resolved. [Aug 2006, p.90]
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  10. DarkStation
    40
    Cashing in on the Jaws franchise may have been a brilliant idea on paper, but this game struggles to entertain with a poor storyline and frustrating controls.
  11. GameSpot
    38
    Playing Appaloosa's ultraviolent and ultrastupid take on the titular killer shark is about as much fun as having your legs chewed off.
  12. The A.V. Club
    33
    The aforementioned camera and perspective problems are the worst, but the "hunger meter" seems to fill up and dissipate so arbitrarily that you never know what your stomach needs.
  13. 1UP
    30
    Just play the old NES game. We don't remember the Jaws movie where they had to collect seashells and bomb jellyfish with airplanes, but it was more fun than this.
  14. Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
    30
    Defending myself from a shark attack would be more entertaining. [Aug 2006, p.77]
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  15. GameCritics
    20
    If playing Jaws Unleashed has taught me one thing about game design, it's that if you're going to put a single fun thing in a game it's best to put it right up front where people can see it, and hopefully trick them into thinking that the entire game is fun.
  16. Game Revolution
    16
    It provides roughly fifteen minutes of absolutely gruesome, chaotic pleasure, then promptly nosedives into the Mariana Trench of bad design, bad graphics and bad control.

Awards & Rankings

31
#31 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2006
31
#31 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2006

User Reviews

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User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 49 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 49
  3. Negative: 8 out of 49
  1. iloveFFC
    Jul 23, 2013
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. I give it a 7.5 as a final score. It is a game I've been playing since I was 8, and eventually mine broke, I recently, and I'm playing through it, I have noticed some things I didn't pick up on when I was little, such as the difficulty and I feel Jaws is sorta underpowered in the beginning of the game, as well as the iffy camera angles and constant annoyance of jaws splashing in and out of the water while attacking, especially the Orca boss battle. I haven't noticed any glitches yet, but if I do I will update this review.… Full Review »
  2. The_D4RknesS
    Jun 30, 2022
    8
    it's a game that gets tired fast but the first 2 hours are worth it, and it's just fun to control and kill people with a giant shark
  3. RetroWiktor
    Apr 20, 2022
    3
    Don't play this game.
    By watching game play online, I was tricked into thinking it would be mindless fun. It sure was mindless, but wasn't    Don't play this game.
    By watching game play online, I was tricked into thinking it would be mindless fun. It sure was mindless, but wasn't fun.
    First let's point out the positives( there won't be a lot of them)
    The game doesn't look that bad for a PS2 game : The environment in which you swim around doesn't look half bad, the models for various animals aren't bad too(humans don't count).
    The game could have also been fun if not one of it's biggest flaws. The controls.
    The controls on the PS2 are HORRIBLE. I thought "I'll get used to it" -Sure didn't.
    Turning the camera is PAINFULLY bad, adjusting the settings didn't improve it very much.
    Another bad thing are the human models. They look like they were taken from the N64 Era.

    Overall this game is BAD. I wouldn't spend the 10£ on it, if i knew how bad this game really is.    … Full Review »
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