Damnation is a fairly standard third person shooter whose "vertical shooter" aspect raises it to a new level.
Damnation is kind of steampunked Civil War story, complete with war robots, machine guns, flying machines, and cowboy hats. The story is fairly original and interesting, but boring, and somewhat obnoxious characters, at least to me, greatly reduce the enjoyment found in cut scenes and conversational bits. Rather average AI doesn't help spice things up either. However, this sounds worse than it is.
There is a decent variety of weapons, from a nifty-looking revolver pistol to a grenade launcher. The sniper rifle easily decapitates an enemy with a head shot, and the railroad drill pins unfortunate enemies to the wall by whatever appendage is pierced. That being said, the game physics are fantastic and it is incredibly fun to pin enemies to walls. However, the cover system is fairly poor, or more like non-existent. Unlike Gears of War, I often find myself firing into the wall I am crouching behind. I have to move from cover, which is a very risky venture, to get a good shot off. This severely hampers combat, but not enough to make it frustrating. Similarly, the AI teammates are fairly stupid, running headlong into enemy fire. Obviously, they are quickly incapacitated. Until your character receives the ability to revive teammates from a distance, you must leave cover to heal them.
But the game really shines due to the "vertical shooter" aspect. Damnation incorporates the entertaining parkour-style movement of Prince of Persia (2008) and Tomb Raider into a more developed setting. Instead of swinging from ropes in caves (Tomb Raider) or sliding down ramps in some odd but beautiful balloon environment (Prince of Persia [2008]), your character swings from ladders and wall jumps up buildings and around industrialized areas. This makes for a more versatile type of game. There are multiple paths to reach important locations, enemies don't need to be attacked head on, and diving through windows only to grab the last rung of ladder hundreds of feet up is just plain awesome. Another interesting aspect of Damnation is its vehicles. Steampunked motorcycles and "trirods" are fun to zoom around in while plowing over enemies, and riding on walls.
The graphics in Damnation look fairly old, or last generation. However, that does not mean the game does not look good. At points the player will notice incredibly specific details, and at other times see bland textures making up a landscape or building. Rourke himself, the character played, is incredibly detailed, as well as some of the other character models. Damnation also has very few technical issues or game bugs. The game was well put together and runs smoothly. Despite its somewhat old appearance, Damnation still looks and plays really well for what it is.
While this game does not really introduce anything new to the genre, it is still a very fun experience, and worth a look. This game will not appeal to all fans of either genre of parkour games, such as Prince of Persia (2008), or third person shooters, like Gears of War. But if you like either, it may be worth your time and money. In closing, Damnation is a fairly standard third person shooter whose "vertical shooter" aspect raises it to a new level.
PROS:
Well-implemented parkuor-style character movement.
Little to no game bugs.
Fun vehicle opportunities.
Interesting steampunked story, environment, building/vehicles, and weapons.
Multiple routes to locations.
Encourages creative thinking and problem solving during gameplay.
CONS:
Poor (really nonexistent) cover system.
Low online co-op player turnout (but this will change as purchases increase).
Some obnoxious characters.
Somewhat incompetent AI teammates.