Before I even talk about the game I've got to mention the TV episode portion of the game, which has been much talked about the past couple of years since it was first revealed. Between each of the 5 acts of the game there is a 20-30 minute filmed episode based slightly on decisions you have made. There's some actual actors in there as well like X men's Ice man, Little finger, that scrawny one off lost and not Idris Alba (it's not racist, they're both in the Wire). Obviously their likenesses are then made in to the video game characters as well and it makes it seem weird at times to be playing a game as a recognisable actor and trying to kill other recognisable actors. I don't necessarily have a problem with the idea of acted sections but it feels really off putting to me to see the same characters and locations from the game in real life, with the sets not really matching the detail in the game.
I have to talk about Remedy (the developer) because I don't have a good history with them. I really wasn't that keen on Alan Wake despite how many other gamers seemed to love it. Wow, this woman on Tipping point just thought the second world war started in 1914... The only Max Payne I'd played was 3, which wasn't made by them I'll give you, but it was their original series and according to the ultimate source of nowledge, Wikipedia, they oversaw development, I wasn't a big fan of that either.
I'm pretty sure I've mentioned in the past my lack of interest in 3rd person action games as well. Why did I play this? Well, I'm beginning to wonder now. The shooting sections are okay, it's fun to be able to use your time abilities to defeat enemies but from about half way in the enemies are immune to most of them and it turns in to a pretty standard shooter. Then there's the platfroming sections. Every part of every act (or so it felt) had a section something like 'the door is locked, however shall we get in?' so you have to jump up a bunch of conveniently placed skips, portable toilets, cranes, trains, automobiles and so on, which doesn't control well. This is a mild frustration at the start but when sections come in where you need to use time control abilities to not get crushed at the same time it becomes very laborious and nearly (in my case) controller smashing. Wow, that woman went through as well.
Before I go any further I should same the game looks fantastic, just like every game in this genre seems to, although as previously mentioned it feels weird looking like the actors . She got through to the head to head now, I might be able to win on this! It's also a 10-12 hour single player game, which is what I crave now that I don't have all the free time I used to. The story then. I'm going to try and avoid spoilers past act 1, but we'll see. Essentially, your friend creates a time machine, goes back to 1999, creates an evil corporation who are indifferent to the fact that time will stop forever despite that they could stop it and you have to save the universe yourself (with your brother, a couple of security experts and a protester). The story is okay, no real complaints but for a game that seems like it's put more time in to style than substance you'd think the story would be fantastic, but it isn't. Well acted though, as you'd expect. There is also the unnecessary story stretch that seems to turn up in all media now where you finally get to your target after hours of searching only to realise you've left your hob on or something so a whole act is spent going back to fix that. Just because it seems to happen in everything now that's not an excuse for lazy storytelling.
So, if you like third person action and style in games this may be for you, or maybe if you see something in Remedy games that I don't, but for me, average gun play and terrible platforing makes a disappointing game. 5/10. Ha, she lost, stupid bitch.
