For a game labeled as 'bad' I had entirely too much fun with this one.
Quantum Theory plays like a conglomeration of the old and new. Having not played GOW, elements of the game reminde me of a diverse set of games anywhere from Uncharted to Doom. Uncharted due to the often imitated cover mechanics (but lacking the sophisticated exploration mechanics) and Doom because of the demon type enemies that can take a licking before dying, as well as the pattern based AI in the larger enemies.
The beginning of the game introduces you to your future partner Filena and your combo attack with her that is one of the the most powerful attacks in the game. After this glimpse of the future you are thrown into a militia squad in a post apocalyptic earth on your way to forcibly enter and destroy a tower that is responsible for the mutation of people into evil monsters.
The story of Quantum Theory is both simplistic and confusing at the same time. It's not bad, and there is a lot of lore of the world to uncover, it is just explained in a very indirect and disjunct manner. The game goes back and forth in time in several instances in an effort try to explain the characters but it can be jarring. Also, your companion, Filena seems to come and go at times and it is not always well explained why she is with you in some parts and not with you at other times.
The controls in the game are often criticized. I did not have too much issue with them for most of the game. I had to adjust the speed of the aiming and the camera a few times during boss fights to be able to keep up with the movements of the bosses. Also, with some of the guns there is not much feedback when shooting enemies. The gun controls only really became frustrating on the second to last boss when they seemed to slow down and speed up seemingly at will. Later in the game melee combat becomes very important due to the enemies requiring a lot of bullets to take down. There are several special attacks that utilize your partner. These include the ability to throw Filena in a high damage attack, throw her in the air to stun your enemies, or combo melee attacks which require precisely timed button presses.
There are several parts of the game that require timed jumps onto and off of giant worm creatures. These can be frustrating, although I'm glad they are there. These portions provide a strong sense of atmosphere to the game that would otherwise be paint by numbers. Just be prepared to have to consult youtube or gamefaqs to get you through one or two of these parts. The other thing that stands out in Quantum Theory is the living tower aspect where the environment changes in the middle of firefights. This provided for me a significant aspect to how I would approach some of the more difficult firefights and is a huge part of my enjoyment of the game.
The graphics are behind the times for the characters but the environments are interesting and detailed in the tower sections. They certainly provide a unique vibe of heaven meets hell.
I played through the single player part of the game on normal and there were definitely some difficult sections in the second half of the game. Frustrating at points, but a sense of challenge brings with it a sense of accomplishment. It probably provided me with a good 12-15 hours of gameplay which is quite good for a game of this type.
I enjoyed playing Quantum Theory. I may try some multiplayer if I can find people online, otherwise I look forward to trying Gears of War for a comparison.