Photo Courtesy of LucasArtsFuturistic shooter “Fracture” lets gamers control the terrain for cover and to reach new areas.Released last week for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, “Fracture” adds to the long list of futuristic shooters. The game distinguishes itself from other shooters with the ability to control the terrain, but is that enough to save it from all the other “Halo” clones?
The story line seems to be in the not-so-distant future, with the setting in a divided America. Due to political divisions over global warming the U.S. has split into the Atlantic Alliance and the Republic of Pacifica, creating the Second Civil War.
The opening scene is a well-directed full motion video that ends with main character and soldier, Jet Brody, flying over to the new western capitol of San Francisco, tasked with the mission of capturing Gen. Sheridan and restoring the union.
To help defeat the genetically-enhanced Pacifician soldiers, Brody has the ability to raise or lower terrain. This feature adds many possibilities to the third-person shooter gameplay. The most obvious and most useful to any player will be to instantly create cover behind raised ground.
The one-trick pony unfortunately only piques interest for a few minutes before it gets old. Brody will continue to raise and lower the land to reach certain peaks and sneak underneath doors for the rest of the game.
Although the story begins with intrigue it never develops into anything worthwhile. The main culprit: long and boring level designs. “Fracture” sets the player down into enormous and repetitive environments. Once the player travels far enough shooting a countless number of enemies, the game briefly saves and then redirecting the player to another spot, only to do the same again. This mechanic sucks any feeling of accomplishment from the game.
Graphically, “Fracture” looks decent. Brody, the main character, has nice detail and the environments have depth. But these qualities are voided by the game’s lack of creativity.
The only real bright spot is the game’s score. The music by Michael Giancchino, the composer behind the Oscar-nominated “Incredibles” score, brings the action to life. In a few quick beats the music takes the action from a standard shootout to an epic battle with no change to the gameplay.
It really is disappointing the way “Fracture” settles for mediocrity. The game begins with promise, but as soon as the tutorial ends it all gets lost in its repetition.
It seems LucasArts just wanted to rush the product out for the holiday rather than create a worthwhile game.
Adam Bianco can be reached at [email protected]
