The Saboteur for PC Reviews by Gamers

The Sabotuer combines the free-world play of games such as GTA and Just Cause to propel the player into a land of espionage in WW2 France. As Sean Devlin, you play the soul at the middle of the story, a race-car-driver-turned-commando battling the likes of WW2 Germany after the fall of Paris. Missions are varied, from rescuing a scientist from an armored train to stealing an ages-old artifact uncovered in a French catacomb (ala Raiders of the Lost Ark). There is much to do, certainly plenty of targets to destroy and plenty of weapons in which to do it, and the missions drive the storyline while free-world play is always the alternative option for the player.

Be warned, however, that Pandemic - the studio behind this masterpiece - was forced to work quickly to get this game out of the door. They were bought by EA and, in keeping with EA tradition, Pandemic was killed shortly after Saboteur was released. As such, some portions of the game come off as unpolished and outright broken. There are freezes apparent and can kill the mojo at times, but you can get through the game with enough patience. Additionally, there is a bug with the world map in which the overlay shifts apart from the map beneath it, making it very difficult to find the right spot you wish to get to. Mission markers are easy enough to manage through the in-game GPS. The map issue is resolved by either running the game in a lower resolution or understanding how the overlay is now matched to the map graphic and adjusting where you want to set your waypoint marker. The map bug isnt a killer but its very annoying.

With all that said, The Saboteur went away as an overlooked gem in the genre - a skillfully crafted game with strong attention to detail in creating WW2 France. There are very good creative subtleties throughout and you will begin to appreciate the team behind this game after your playthrough. Certainly one of my favorite games of all time - a game that plays like a movie with you in the lead.