At the center of the action is John Jack, a mercenary who is assigned the dirty work of the criminal organization H. A. R. M. His task is to deal with rival bandits, complete a couple of specific tasks and, preferably, survive at the same time. But things don't go so smoothly (well, as usual), and Jack finds himself embroiled in a whirlwind of espionage intrigues, where his opponents become opponents from a rival company, mercenaries, and even members of his own organization.
The story turned out to be cheerful, albeit without any special plot depths. A pronounced comedic espionage style is not hidden from view. The creators focused on an action movie with a touch of sarcasm.
"Contract J. A. C. K." is pure action. The game literally screams, "Don't think, just shoot!" and it works. I especially remember the mission on the moon, where you could enjoy interesting views with cool enough graphics for your time. The gameplay is not complicated and bright - shootouts do not let you get bored, and a lot of enemies add dynamics.
At the time of the release, "Contract J. A. C. K." looked quite decent. No, it wasn't a breakthrough, but the surroundings, lighting, and character models met the standards of the time. The effects of explosions and shooting look good, but the animations sometimes make you smile - enemies sometimes fall down as if their switch was turned off.
The soundtrack is fine too: the music is brisk, and the gunfights sound powerful.
"Contract J. A. C. K." is a case where you don't expect anything special from the game, but it turns out to be a pleasant surprise. Yes, it doesn't offer a deep plot or innovative mechanics, but it does give you a few hours of honest action with shootouts and light humor. It's not a great game, but it's quite decent, especially if you want something simple and uncomplicated.
7 out of 10.
