The most challenging third person shooter I've played this generation but it isn't without its set of flaws.
This game made me realize that this generation of gamers have been spoiled with things like auto aiming, cover mechanics, weapon upgrades, moderate enemy numbers, trophy support, and one hit head shot kills. Fracture throws all of that out of the window. On a regular basis (I'm talking from the first enemy encounter), you will be swarmed by enemy fire. The closest thing the game has to a cover mechanic is ability to manually kneel behind an inanimate object which in most cases does the trick. This isn't as bad as it sounds...I cannot tell you the amount of times I've played other TPS and stuck to objects due to the ease of unintentionally triggering the cover mechanic. In addition to this, most enemies take quite a few hit to take down but Fracture does a good job at either providing more ammo or a new gun to wield. As you progress in the game, new and even more difficult enemy types are reveled. One in particular stands out...it jumps from one side of the screen to the other shooting rockets, is very hard to hit, and eats bullets like they're a mid-night snack. Yeah, fighting one in the midst of a screen of other enemies can be very frustrating but imagine having to fight two of these guys at once while trying to keep yourself alive?! Fortunately, the game is forgiving in the area of health since it does regenerate over a short period of time. While this is good, at times it doesn't help if you're getting nailed left and right by enemy fire. Boss battles aren't push overs either but are very sparatic. There isn't a set format to the level designs where you know that you're about to enter into one. In fact, the only way you know that you're going from one level to another is when you get a CGI cut scene.
Now lets get into the core mechanic of Fracture...terrain deformation. For those that may not know, your primary gun allows you to either increase or decrease a given area of the ground around you infinate times (think a hill or a hole). When I say infinate times, I don't mean you can raise a pillar that's sky high or a hole that's hella deep but rather the ability to do so does not have limits. In addition to the gun that does this, the majority of grenades on the game have terrain manipulating effects too. I found this mechanic to be more vital to progressing through areas of the game or to reach certain collectibles than all that effective against enemies. Its a nice touch to the game but due to the lack of any real upgrades to these abilities, didn't make it feel like a true core mechanic. There is another drawback to terrain deformation...the controls. The buttom mapping for weaponary is very awkward and I honestly never got used to it. The front 2 trigger buttons (L1 and R1) are used to either raise or lower terrain and the back 2 trigger buttons (L2 and R2) are used to throw grenades and to fire weapons. While that sounds really simple, countless times I found myself confusing the two and died from continuing to press the wrong set of buttons in a tight situation.
Fracture has a very interesting plot: In the year 2161, humanity in the US had to somehow adapt to the rapid changes in the climate. On the east coast, where the government is still based from, people have cybernetically enhanced themselves to deal with this while on the west coast people have genetically engineered themselves for survival...which is outlawed (the midwest was flooded). So, you play as Jet Brody, a soldier of the Atlantic Aliance and your goal is to capture the General of the Republic of Pacifica to bring him to justice. While the general plot was good, it never moves beyond that. There's no explaination as to why genetic engineering it illegal but cybernetic enhancement isn't, there aren't any twists, and no reason is given as to why the Pacificans want to kill everyone on the east coast. Additionally, Brody seems just as detached from the game. He's just a soldier out to accomplish a mission...that's it. There isn't any personal agendas of his, any doubts, no backstory as to why he's on the side he is...nothing. Its all business and nothing is personal (well maybe not until the end at least). To say that story and character development is a weak point is an understatement. Fracture's approach to storytelling suffers from what many forms of similar media suffers from...being built around the idea of a definate sequal. The several mentioned plot holes to the very inconclusive ending does leave the impression that a sequal or prequal to the story is to be expected. There's nothing wrong with planning a sequal and leaving some aspects of the story open ended for one to take place but its just not wise to fill it full of plot holes, requiring one for it all to make any sense. In the case that the game ends up being the one and only entry into the story, its better for it make the best impression or else you just leave people scratching their heads (and as you can see, its 4 years later and no follow up).
The visuals are impressively done but I've heard better sound effect. The musical score definately sounds like something straight out of a Star Wars film (hence being a Lucas Arts creation)...you know, kinda light hearted music in the midst of an otherwise very dark scenerio. There were a few technical hicups here and there, specifically during cut scene that would inexplicably cause the PS3 freeze or slow down. I actually lost a hour's worth of progress because of a corrupt game saved that came from me having to restart my PS3 after a freeze up. Fortunately, Frature offers a chapter select of all unlocked chapters.
My Breakdown:
What's Good:
- Nice visuals
- Interesting plot
- Wide variety of weapons
- Very challenging
What's Not-So-Good:
- The "core game mechanic" feels more like an after thought
- Online co-op would have been a nice addition to the gameplay
- Sound effects could have been better
What's Bad
- Underdeveloped story
- Poor character development
- Awkward button mapping
- Has a tendency to slow down and even freeze your PS3 during cut scenes.
In all, Fracture is a fun and challenging third person shooter with its share of issues. If you're looking for just that (minus the issues) then its an excellent game to pick up at a bargin price but if you're looking for something with depth and supurb design, then this will potentially let you down.