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IGN Review of Jumper: Griffin's Story
At 15% on
Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer, the film Jumper is one of the worst-reviewed movies of the year so far. The consensus is that it possesses "little coherence and lackluster special effects." The same can be said about the videogame tie-in, Jumper: Griffin's Story, making it a bad game based on a bad movie. The gameplay is a mind-numbing beat 'em up affair and the visuals are of PS1 quality. There is the occasional glimpse of fun, but these mirages fade almost immediately.
The game focuses on the jumper Griffin, who is a supporting character in the movie. Publisher Brash Entertainment is up front about its target demographic being casual gamers and fans of the film. This is evident in the lack of any story explanation in the game or manual. You are apparently expected to have seen the movie and know who these characters are going in. "Story" is in the title for cryin' out loud. All we know is Griffin's parents were killed, he's pissed, and he takes House of Pain literally.
Jumper is a total button masher. You run from room to room getting into fights with Paladins who are jealous that they can't jump around. The square and X buttons attack and you press the left analog stick in different directions to jump around the enemy. But there isn't any technique or strategy involved -- just furiously press your buttons and swivel the analog stick and you'll take down legions and legions of bad guys, who are all apparently identical twins. It's all very jerky and unsatisfying. Jamie Bell, the actor who plays Griffin in the film and lends his voice to the game, even remarks at one point, "Have we met? I've killed so many guys just like you it's hard to keep track." I'd like to think the developers added the line as a knowing wink to the poor gamer facing his/her 10,000th wave of the same enemies.
As he connects his blows, Griffin will charge his jump meter. When full, players can press the minus button to activate a jump attack. This might be a slow-motion jump kick, or it might trigger a short cut scene where Griffin "jumps" the enemy to a dangerous location and finishes him off. For example, he'll jump to the top of a tall building and throw the bad guy off the edge. These vignettes would be more entertaining if there was more variety. Instead, you'll be seeing the same handful over and over again. There are more elaborate kill sequences where the game goes on rails and takes control away from the player. These are fairly inventive but the graphics and collision detection are so bad the experience will likely be ruined for you. Plus, the game doesn't give you any warning before this happens, so it feels very jarring.
One gameplay mechanic that is a wasted opportunity is the teleportation. Hold the R1 button and aim the crosshairs at any level ground in view. Release the button and Griffin will teleport to that spot. There are a few clever spots where the player must jump to a difficult area to obtain an item. But the aiming reticule is controlled with the right analog stick and it's difficult to be precise.
Jumper's music is pretty good, composed by Chris Tilton (Mercenaries, Black). It's a dramatic, orchestral affair, not based on the music of the film, but of Hollywood action movie quality.
The options menu offers a lengthy amount of stats that track your progress through the game. You can check in here to see how many secrets you've found, weapons you've mastered, and how many people you've killed with each armament. It's a nice little touch that invests the player in the game just a tiny bit more.
©2008-02-29, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer, the film Jumper is one of the worst-reviewed movies of the year so far. The consensus is that it possesses "little coherence and lackluster special effects." The same can be said about the videogame tie-in, Jumper: Griffin's Story, making it a bad game based on a bad movie. The gameplay is a mind-numbing beat 'em up affair and the visuals are of PS1 quality. There is the occasional glimpse of fun, but these mirages fade almost immediately.
The game focuses on the jumper Griffin, who is a supporting character in the movie. Publisher Brash Entertainment is up front about its target demographic being casual gamers and fans of the film. This is evident in the lack of any story explanation in the game or manual. You are apparently expected to have seen the movie and know who these characters are going in. "Story" is in the title for cryin' out loud. All we know is Griffin's parents were killed, he's pissed, and he takes House of Pain literally.
Jumper is a total button masher. You run from room to room getting into fights with Paladins who are jealous that they can't jump around. The square and X buttons attack and you press the left analog stick in different directions to jump around the enemy. But there isn't any technique or strategy involved -- just furiously press your buttons and swivel the analog stick and you'll take down legions and legions of bad guys, who are all apparently identical twins. It's all very jerky and unsatisfying. Jamie Bell, the actor who plays Griffin in the film and lends his voice to the game, even remarks at one point, "Have we met? I've killed so many guys just like you it's hard to keep track." I'd like to think the developers added the line as a knowing wink to the poor gamer facing his/her 10,000th wave of the same enemies.
As he connects his blows, Griffin will charge his jump meter. When full, players can press the minus button to activate a jump attack. This might be a slow-motion jump kick, or it might trigger a short cut scene where Griffin "jumps" the enemy to a dangerous location and finishes him off. For example, he'll jump to the top of a tall building and throw the bad guy off the edge. These vignettes would be more entertaining if there was more variety. Instead, you'll be seeing the same handful over and over again. There are more elaborate kill sequences where the game goes on rails and takes control away from the player. These are fairly inventive but the graphics and collision detection are so bad the experience will likely be ruined for you. Plus, the game doesn't give you any warning before this happens, so it feels very jarring.
One gameplay mechanic that is a wasted opportunity is the teleportation. Hold the R1 button and aim the crosshairs at any level ground in view. Release the button and Griffin will teleport to that spot. There are a few clever spots where the player must jump to a difficult area to obtain an item. But the aiming reticule is controlled with the right analog stick and it's difficult to be precise.
Jumper's music is pretty good, composed by Chris Tilton (Mercenaries, Black). It's a dramatic, orchestral affair, not based on the music of the film, but of Hollywood action movie quality.
The options menu offers a lengthy amount of stats that track your progress through the game. You can check in here to see how many secrets you've found, weapons you've mastered, and how many people you've killed with each armament. It's a nice little touch that invests the player in the game just a tiny bit more.
©2008-02-29, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved