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Screenshots - | |||
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Screenshots don't adequately explain just what Namco did with Breakdown. The viewpoint shows everything, including the character himself: when looking down in Halo, the player sees nothing, in Breakdown, they see feet, legs, a chest, and if knocked down, all of that contorted. Actions are also slowed down and done in a more - not totally - realistic fashion. A good example is that, unlike most games, instead of the player running over a clip to pick it up, here, the player has to actually search the body, grab the clip, and then place it into their inventory. All items are handled in the same manner. This is also an example of what is wrong with the game: taking the extra steps do emulate the process one would go through when doing those actions in real life, but it is also counter-intuitive to a game that bills itself as an adrenaline-pumping action title. It's difficult to keep up the pace of combat whenever it takes 10 seconds to replenish ammo. Superfluous steps aren't the game's only problems, though. Combat is flawed all around. The enemies encountered are either soldiers or enhanced fighters. Soldiers can take up to an entire magazine, shot at a distance of a foot away, before the die. The enhanced fighters fight bare knuckle, and despite not being very bright, their tactic of bum rushing the player, with the player having little recourse to combat multiple opponents, can make them pretty difficult. One reason for the guns (limited to a pistol, sub machinegun, and rocket launcher) being so weak is that the developers wanted players to take advantage of the melee combat system - I assume, otherwise combat is bordering on being broke. Unlike most first-person titles that have rudimentary combat moves, typically a punch and kick, Breakdown features a series of moves and combos, along with acrobatics (side rolls and back flips) that allow for evasive maneuvers during fights. This approach is pretty fun with a single opponent, but, as I said, anymore than that and it gets hairy. An adjustable lock-on system is included to assist in fighting, but often the player will swing to an enemy out of range because it's very easy to forget to switch targets after getting body-checked into a wall. Another problem was that my character would often get up and face an awkward direction after being hit, either standing up inches in front of an enemy's fist or facing a wall, both of which were disorienting and potentially disastrous. Blocking was somewhat useful, but it is tough to navigate when arms are covering the screen, and it doesn't stop a few of the moves. Other times, though, the melee combat is marvelous; there were times when I would automatically, or intentionally, do a back flip, barely missing a bullet, then following through with a flying kick and a back fist of doom. For such a unique system, these problems aren't abnormal, but they do make for some bad growing pains. There is something that does alleviate some of the frustration, and those are the powers the player gets throughout the game. I don't want to give too much away, just know that things get interesting. Launching a once-feared enemy into the air, flipping as they go, is a rare joy. Although some will only offer significant problems, the handful of enemies are always threats. Even after having gained powers, the basic super soldier can deal out large amounts of pain. With eerie Terminator-like glares, the warriors aren't just tough to fight, but can also be pretty intimidating. Unfortunately, even with their strength and fierce look, they aren't consistently aggressive… or very smart: some will stand a few feet away from the player and not move, even when being shot. The same intelligence is about on par with the player's companion, who is prone to running around, running into walls, blocking the player's path, and just acting strange - she does come handy in some combat situations, though. The pace of the game is pretty quick, so that means the levels are laid out in a simple manner - backtracking is rare, puzzles are limited to finding objects in the room next door, and every unnecessary room or spot will be locked away or barred off. This linear approach keeps the story unfolding at a steady pace, and that's really one of the game's biggest draws. The story itself is decent, but it's told in such a great way, through flashbacks and hallucinations, that the surreal aspect is presented in a genuinely creepy and entertaining way that I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. Throughout the course of the game, the player will also have to answer questions and do extra tasks. The questions aren't necessarily important, since the game will progress if they aren't answered, but they are handy if the player wants to find out more about the story. The extra tasks are another means of fleshing out the world and getting the player more involved; these are typically moments like having to press the action button to grab your companion's hand, and then pressing it again to pull yourself up, complete with a shaking camera and full recognition of the area. The exaggerated camera movements, which is adjustable, is also used to great affect in replicating actual head movement; actions like opening a door has the view go forward to replicate leaning, then the character's hand coming into view to open the door, then the view going back to its original position. There are also a few other minor problems and oddities. Something I found strange was that the player can replenish much of their health by drinking soda, however, instead of just breaking the front open and taking what is needed, he puts money in the machine and goes through the whole process of getting a Coke - er, not a Coke, the cans just happen to kinda-sorta look like one), also, the machines are surprisingly sparse, holding only one or two cans. While that is more of a weird observation, the fact that the player can not store food items in their inventory (somehow a rocket launcher fits, but not a candy bar) and that the ammunition used wasn't accurately reflected by how much that had been acquired (I would pick up a dozen grenades, but I would be out after throwing three) was just annoying. Breakdown
is a tough title to review. On one hand, it really does succeed in making the
player feel like they are actually doing the movements on screen, and the way
the story unfolds is brilliant. On the other hand, the game just feels clunky,
with combat only rarely living up to its potential, and much of the game takes
place in boring environments (including a huge office building that have corridors
reminiscent of Body Count) and the extra steps seem all the more pointless
when the cancel button could do away with the step of having to accept or discard
an item. It's one to play for the experience, not for the design. Like Half-Life, Breakdown looks good, but it doesn't seem very representative of a game of today. While Half-Life looked good when it was released, it was eclipsed by Unreal, and in this case, Halo is today's Unreal. PC gamers will get that analogy, everyone else, just be aware that the game looks like its a few years old - that is to say, it isn't ugly, but it can't compare to other releases in the genre. There were also weird anomalies, like the character's hand moving past an item and then it being picked up, causing the item to float behind the hand. Weapon effects were a little weak, with explosions and rockets looking dated. The game is also extremely dark. Fortunately, brightness and gamma can be corrected, but the game became nearly unplayable when switching from component to composite. Sound:
8/10 I found myself having to use auto-aim, which has to be the only time I've ever said that. After shooting an enemy, a target locks on them, and stays on them until the enemy dies or target is manually switched. The auto method is almost essential because, not only where the enemies hard to spot, but also because all of them are so resilient to bullets; since the weapons are so weak, every shot has to count. Problems also arose whenever I attempted to do a quick punch, because it was often mistaken for a charged attack and the result was often a missed shot and me lying on the ground in pain. The additional steps also bog the game down as they are unnecessary and lend towards the game's overall clunky feeling. The controls are definitely Breakdown's biggest problem. Overall:
6.5/10 [ top ] | |||
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