Bodycount

I'll admit when it comes to the storylines of games i normally don't pay much attention, i just want to blow stuff up and fire at the bad guys. Well, i got that with this game. I lost track of the story early on (something about being a member of 'the network' a organisation of soldiers and the bad guys are 'the target') but it didnt matter as i had a enjoyable few hours frantically firing weapons and blowing stuff up (you can destroy pretty much anything). There's no doubt that this game just isn't up to the standard of its contemporaries. The story is absurd, the AI seems abit mindless and its all rather too simple. You just literally kill anyone you see, there's no atomsphere and you just feel a sense of detachment. I think its fair to say there's no aspect of this game thats impressive, its just a simple game offering loud bangs and plenty of bullets. Its along the lines of Bulletstorm but with far less going on. As you progress you gain new abilities but for some reason it doesnt feel like you're actually achieving anything (other than mindless destruction). Also, worst manual ever. I wanted to double check what the special abilities actually do when i got stuck on a certain part but the manual pretty much just tells you the controls. Finally, the most annoying thing for me was the fact that you've no idea how much health you have until the screen goes red around the edges and you know you're about to die. The health might be regenerative but do need to know how much you have so you can take cover or run away. The makers should of looked to Halo on that one. Overall a silly mindless game which is alot of fun but utterly doesn't cut it.

..it's a duck. This looked rubbish, mindless and archaic and that's exactly what it is.

Dear oh dear. This game might have been a bit more forgivable if it had been released 10 years ago but for a 2011 game it's pretty shoddy. It's like Jedward, Jordan and John Terry never happened. That obviously would have been a good thing.

It's as daft as the Chuckle Brothers although it doesn't really share their brooding intensity and underlying threat. Never trust men with tashes like those.

Whilst playing this game I was really struggling to work out why on earth this game actually exists. If you are going to brazenly steal the ideas and gameplay of other titles, why would you do such a tremendously bad job of it? If you liked the destructive, fast-paced shooting of Black, this is much worse. If you loved the skill kill aspect of Bulletstorm, then this is a poor rehash of that approach. If you liked the mindless gunplay of The Club, this doesn't come close. If you loved Hour of Victory, then you are a mentalist and will adore this game. Although how you can read this review is beyond me.

By way of enlightening you all to the utter gashness of this game, I'll deconstruct the advertising spiel that Amazon give it:-
"Fall in love with firepower in intense arcade firefights"
Or not. Struggle to work out how on earth the AI are incapable of seeing you when you are standing directly in front of them, yet at other times be able to shoot you from the most acute of angles whilst outside when you are hidden in a room and behind the bog-standard gaming filing cabinet.

"Deploy a powerful arsenal of weapons"
Don't expect many guns. Infuriatingly you can't pick up the guns of the enemies you've just killed. Absolutely ridiculous.

"Rack up your Bodycount in campaign and online co-op and competitive multiplayer modes"
You'll be passed caring how many enemies you've killed within a few minutes of playing this game. They're repetitive, dumb, offer little challenge apart from when the grenade spamming occurs and occasionally spawn from nowhere to suddenly be behind you.

"Execute skill kills, build combat combat chains and collect intel to earn combat upgrades"
Wow, combat upgrades, that's like so incredible. Let's hope they don't decide to offer very little in the way of combat upgrades and actually allow you no say over what's being upgraded. No, that would be very silly and limiting...

"Shred through cover and enemies to carve a unique path of destruction"
Yep. Use your destructive force to either go in a straight line or go slightly off of the straight line. Bodycount doesn't really give you the multiple paths of Deus Ex or even Brink. And it's all so badly done. Some walls require a shot or two wheras others (of the same material apparently) require an Exocet missile to break them down.

"Hunt the mysterious `Target' who manipulate world events under the cover of civil warzones"
My 4 year old could have come up with a better plot than this bunch of hokum. I know people won't really be playing this game for the plot - rather the hyperactive shooting - but it's the kind of nonsense that Michael Bay would find deep and meaningful. Dirge.

"Take on class-based enemies who work together to hunt you down"
If by working together, they mean run round like headless chickens then this game delivers in spades. They also have a love of chokepoints meaning you could probably complete this game just using mines.

"Storm `Target' bases and prove yourself in exhilarating boss battles"
Do we have to have boss battles in 2011? It's a lazy gaming convention and I just wish developers would have the balls to be a bit more inventive. The bosses are rubbish, easy to kill and you'll have seen them and their achilles' heels being fully exploited in games from yesteryear.

"Every kill counts - replay each level to improve your score"
If a game implores you to replay its levels, it must give something back. For such a poorly executed game such as this, there is absolutely no desire to face the dull environments again.

Then are a number of other real issues. Checkpoints are badly spaced, sometimes too often, sometimes far too infrequent. In addition to this issue, on 4 levels my checkpoint was saved at the precise moment I was either getting shot up more than a junkie or just as I needed to reload my gun.

Ultimately, I knew what I was letting myself in for. The demo on Live (and presumably PSN) is an accurate insight into this game. If you're still debating getting this, try before you buy. It's utter nonsense, poorly executed and despite all the shock and awe going on around you, is rather dull. But, a 5 hour single player campaign which is based on run 'n gun was mildly diverting but with all the longevity of a Krispy Kreme Doughnut in a Weightwatchers meeting. I'd have to give it 2 stars as it did help me to forget the recession, society's impending breakdown, the destruction of the planet, Cher Lloyd, Nissan Micras and mushrooms. Not sure a rating system should be based on how dumb a game is and how thick you feel playing it, but it's my review so 2/5 it is.

OKay a brief comment...

This game aint that bad it was fun to play thru, no COD or battlefield, but ay........

PROS-
-Good destruction
-Long play time on HARD
-Weapons were okay and effective
-Audio & Visual was good
-Ai were clever with flanking moves and hunted me like crazy
-Bargain if cheap

CONS
-Few level scenes
-Repeated level design with varying routes
-Some awkward checkpoints
-More weapons and upgrades would be nice
-The upgrades were next to useless
-We are the grenades offline?
-No storyline just destruction!!!

CONCLUSION
For a 5£ bargain it isnt bad for one playthrough, i had good fun and it reminded me of Black. It had no storyline that made sense but the firefights were fun and explosive...... Dont take this one so seriously if your a cod or BF fan boy, its just pure manic arcade fun with the odd stealth scene and great destruction..