State of Emergency is a no-holds-barred romp of carnage and destruction set in chaotic 3D city streets full of hundreds of characters. In the near future, the oppressive, ubiquitous "Corporation" finally pushes the people too far, causing a riot to break out. The Corporation calls a "State of Emergency" and begins to fill the streets with heavily armed officers to try to keep the peace. In line with publisher Rockstar Games' brave trend of violent games based on criminal situations, the player in this adventure takes the role of an angry agent who resists the domineering Corporation and is encouraged to do so as viciously and brutally as possible. Players choose to guide one of five diverse resistance agents through the four different city districts, challenged by over 30 missions in each area. Free-form "Chaos" modes are available as well, to allow the player to wreak havoc on his or her own terms. In either mode, survival through merciless violence is a founding aspect of gameplay and the resistance agent will need to use any means available to cause as much pain and destruction as possible while moving through the city streets. While simple found items like pipes and clubs serve as good beginning weapons, more sophisticated arms become available as the game progresses, including shotguns, grenades, flamethrowers, and even rocket launchers.