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Breakdown... it's all in the name
posted by JCDenton (FREEDOM, NH) Dec 29, 2008
Member since Mar 2006
So Derrick Cole has been having a terrible day. He has amnesia, he's groggy and now armed soldiers want to kill him. And the only way you can escape is with the help of a girl. What's worse, the soldiers are getting slaughtered by T'Lan warriors and you can't hurt them with the guns you just picked up. Yeah, it's gonna be one of those days...
Basically, this is Breakdown. It's big on concept, but lacking in many other areas. The concept: an adventure game experienced entirely through the eyes of the main character, enemies you have to fight with your fists and a mind-bending world that will make you question your sanity. To it's credit, these concepts are implemented in full force. How well they're used is another subject.
First, through-the-eyes gameplay has been explored in other games, but most have third-person perspective sections (Metroid Prime, Chronicles of Riddick). While this might take away from the immersion, it makes the gameplay more cohesive. With all the acrobatics in Breakdown, some players will likely get nauseous after the fifth evasive roll. And fighting can become disorienting, which you don't want when fighting.
Which brings us to fighting. The gun play works well enough, but the fighting sequences leave you dealing with big, bulky science experiments with mean left hooks. After you die a few times from overly-complicated punching mechanics, you'll likely be weighing how much you want to continue playing. This threshold is reached far too soon.
In the end, the gameplay is too counter-intuitive to keep you playing and the storyline isn't engaging enough to lead you through the slog.
You have to give Namco credit for having tried something different and for that it gets points. But a good idea does not automatically make a great game.
Basically, this is Breakdown. It's big on concept, but lacking in many other areas. The concept: an adventure game experienced entirely through the eyes of the main character, enemies you have to fight with your fists and a mind-bending world that will make you question your sanity. To it's credit, these concepts are implemented in full force. How well they're used is another subject.
First, through-the-eyes gameplay has been explored in other games, but most have third-person perspective sections (Metroid Prime, Chronicles of Riddick). While this might take away from the immersion, it makes the gameplay more cohesive. With all the acrobatics in Breakdown, some players will likely get nauseous after the fifth evasive roll. And fighting can become disorienting, which you don't want when fighting.
Which brings us to fighting. The gun play works well enough, but the fighting sequences leave you dealing with big, bulky science experiments with mean left hooks. After you die a few times from overly-complicated punching mechanics, you'll likely be weighing how much you want to continue playing. This threshold is reached far too soon.
In the end, the gameplay is too counter-intuitive to keep you playing and the storyline isn't engaging enough to lead you through the slog.
You have to give Namco credit for having tried something different and for that it gets points. But a good idea does not automatically make a great game.
Break This Game
posted by OKRecords (ASHBURN, VA) Dec 30, 2007
Member since Nov 2007
I couldn't stand this game. It was hard to the point of making you want cry. It's great for the first stage when your bullets actually kill people, but once you get to the enemies that require a fist-t-cuff battle, forget it. You won't be going any further.
If you're looking for a kick you in the face hard game, then this is certainly it. I found it too hard to enjoy.
If you're looking for a kick you in the face hard game, then this is certainly it. I found it too hard to enjoy.
Beatdown!
posted by FLOWDANGO (MORRISTOWN, NJ) Jun 30, 2007
Member since May 2007
Breakdown was a very anticipated title because none other has focused more on first person fighting like this title. But it was brought down very hard by horrible controls, horrible story, and a horrible graphical design that leads you to say "wow am I in the same place for 8 hours?". This title suffered from many aspects, the gun play was also very dull and boring. Also there is no multiplayer support! This game is a complete avoid at all costs, instead of renting this game please rent Chronicles of Riddick because that game brings the first person fighting to the level it truly should be.
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