An ambitious game that is brimming with atmosphere but doesnt hit all the notes.
From the get go you know that the developers have put a lot of time and effort into this game. The fact that they go out of their way to explain everything is a real plus as most of the stuff would be confusing without further investigation. Being interested in the movie , I was glad they included this information as it gives some very good insight into the film itself. The details included in this "Pandorapedia" are a great look at what the film will entail too, including LOADS of information about what the whole Avatar process is and what it is comprised of. But these are just fine details the developers included to whet the appetites of the movie fans. The real meat of the game is the game itself, obviously!
Starting out you select the character you want to be which shows you the character you are as well as your characters Avatar counter part. I was quite suprised by this detail, as well as the ability to be female or any race the player could want. You are then introduced to your character through a small introductory sequence inside one of the RDA's mammoth air ships. From here on out you are given missions from RPG style quest givers and they are some pretty fun missions that really let you explore the amazingly lush jungles of pandora. You're first real taste of the action is set up when you are ordered to repel a pack of attacking Viperwolves as some of your RDA troop friends high tail it back to base. It's here that I really started to get a taste of what Ubisoft and Cameron where trying to do. Like Crackdown did in the Winter of 2007 and Borderlands recently mastered , the team at Ubisoft is melding the shooter genre with the RPG genre and I personally think it is an awesome set up. Completing missions grants you XP (experience points) and like all good RPG's , the more levels you aquire through XP aquisition the better weapons and armor you are granted. Avatar is one of the few games , like Borderlands, where upgrades can be felt through the gameplay. What I mean by this is that when I'm using a melee weapon like a club and then reach another level and I am granted a more powerful club, I can tell almost immediatly that the new club is better. Few games do that, infact almost no games do that, most games replace the art of the weapon but the same effects are felt through the game. The final fantasy games come to mind with this, and although Avatar and FF are in different genres , FF is a perfect example of merely replacing the weapon model with a new one but not changing the feel of the game. Another aspect to the game is the difference in how the Avatar you play as handles compared to the human you play as handles. The Avatar stands atleast 9 feet tall and feels extremely powerful when weilding clubs and edged weapons. The human on the other hand is average height feels fragile and is completely reliant on fire arms. While both sides play differently they are both very fun to play as and the shooting mechanic in the game is very fun, especially the Na'Vi's bows and arrows. There is also a vehicle aspect to the game and while I dont agree with alot of what the "big review sites" are saying about the game in general I will agree that the vehicles are way too loose control wise, if the controls were tightened through an update it would make some of the segments much better. Though I may sound like they are really bad it is far, far from unplayable. The dragon like Banshee's controls are too loose as well but it is still very playable and awe inspiring when soaring above the amazing landscapes. All in all the game play is fun, action packed, and VERY rewarding. The RPG elements and the upgrades make the game very addictive as well! The shooting is fun and simple, the Na'Vi's melee combat is fun and the AMP suit is an awesome peice of tech for the RDAs arsenal.
But what about the graphics? THEY'RE AWESOME! From the extremely lush and dense jungle to the awesome Na'Vi tribal grounds this game has a very unique and amazing look! Which brings me to a point thati'd like to hit on as I haven't seen it brought up in any reviews. The typical shooter consists of a color palette where the primary color is brown. Look at Clive Barker's Jericho if you think you can argue that point. This is one of the areas where Avatar really shines, for all the action going on screen I can help but look around the environment and admire the vivid and Intense colors of the jungle, the vibrant skin of the Na'Vi warriors , and the shining steel of the RDAs Amp suits. The art direction is spot on and really shines compared to other games. This makes me really excited for the movie as well because Ubisoft built this game with the art direction used in the actual movie and if this game looks this good the movie will be absolutely stunning. The production value of the game is really stellar and some of the best I've ever saw, especially for a movie game. The sound design is also well above average, especially in the voice acting department, its suprising to see a game where the person speakings face actuall fits their voice, and I'm not speaking about lipsync. The Na'Vi sound like they should, deep male voice with tribal dialect while the human's voice's actually fit their apperances.
At the end of the day Avatar is a way above average game that is being treated unfairly by the masses because its not another mindless shooter and it tries to do several different things and does them well enough that the game is unique and exciting. It isnt everyday that a good licensed video game pops up on the shelves, let alone a great one like Avatar. It's really puzzling why this game is getting bad press and I'm not one to warm up to movie games! The few i mentioned up top are the best and Avatar is on par with their quality and entertainment value. Having recently finished Assassins Creed II , another end of the year gem, and completeing Mass Effect for the 4th time I can say that I am not use to being subjected to bad games and while the press might say Avatar is a bad game it most certainly is not, it is a well paced, beautiful and rewarding game. A game that goes beyond most games by establishing a world that feels believable , exciting, and chaotic all at once. Dont let the big review sites fool you, this game is quite good, suprisingly deep, and very rewarding. It is atleast worthy of a rental, especially if youre out on a limb about after reading reviews.