This game has been getting scores up and down the spectrum, from a rare 4.5 from IGN to an 8.0 from Gamespot. Is this a reflection that the game is bad, per se?
Not really. It’s a reflection of the fact that Ubisoft had no faith in this game, and unfortunately, it shows. This game really needed some more money and if it had had that, it might have been a $60 console title and possibly a game of the year contender. As it is, it leaves you wanting more out of it, in both a good way and a bad way.
That’s not idle speculation: when this game works, which is about 75% of the time, it really works. It’s really tense to pull a gun you know is empty and try to shout a guy towards a ledge so you can actually kick him off. It’s scary as hell to watch your stamina bar shrink as you try to crawl up a ledge. And the soundscape is incredible; this is one of those rare games where you absolutely need the sound. This is a game that demands you item hoard, save scum, and think hard about any situation you come across.
The problems are largely ones of graphics and controls, and the occasional note of polish. The controls work most of the time, but there are moments when they backfire on you at the absolute worst possible time, usually while climbing. The graphics, meanwhile, just needed more time, but it’s still awkward to see a machete phase right through a random mook. Then there are the occasional little things, like a survivor you meet that you suddenly can’t talk to, or the fact that the map is worse than useless when it comes to finishing sidequests. It’s also short; I knocked it off in a few hours.
What it really comes down to is, is this game worth $15? I’m on the fence about that. The mechanics are amazing, the sound is good, but graphics and controls aren’t that great. You’re really going to love this game or hate the crap out of it. If you’re willing to part with $15 to try it, then go for it: if nothing else, you’ll play something completely different from anything else coming out this year.
image courtesy Ubisoft
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I didn’t play it for long last night, but I enjoyed it somewhat. It might just be that I was really stoned, but I got to a point where there was no obvious means of continuing, i.e. i couldn’t figure out where the fuck to go.
I actually didn’t have any of those complaints that you’re referencing and I actually enjoyed the ever-loving shit out of this game. IGN’s 4.5 review was laughable and destroyed their rep in my eyes. Morons. This game absolutely floored me. The story, the tense atmosphere, awesome. The graphics blew me away. When you’re on the top of some half-falling over building looking out into the horizon and there’s a fire in the building across the street from you, you can see a downed helicopter on the roof two blocks away, the streets are all hazy from fog… just, wow. The game is absolutely worth $15 – shit I would have paid double. If Ubisoft was smart enough to throw more $ into this game and made it a full-length, it would have been one of the best games I’ve ever played. I want a goddamn sequel and I don’t see what all the complaints are about. With so many shitty games out, how the hell are you people not enjoying this one??
obviously when we read reviews we’re likely to find a point or two we can quibble with. not this one. I could’ve written this review. I agree with every last word. I’ve had friends ask if they ought to get it, and I’ve had to find myself echoing the same sentiment. “I’m on the fence. Elements of it are downright awesome, but my overarching problem with it is … if they had taken, what, four more months working on it it could be Uncharted levels of awesome.”
The bright note is that Ubisoft at least backed it enough to feature it in their PAX East booth. It was getting steady play. Here’s hoping it takes off; I’m pulling for this to get the console AAA remake it genuinely deserves.