Unique teamplay game mechanics in a grubby underworld
* Unique team-play mechanic
* Dirty believable setting
* Challenging puzzles
Minus:
* Terrible environment graphics
* Peculiar aiming
* Indistinguishable objects
* Lack of music
* Rubbish ending
* No replay value
Is 7.5 a good score or a bad score? To me it's a good score though reflects either a missed opportunity to be truly magnificent, or suitable only to those who are fans of the genre.
Which sums up Project Eden rather well. If you're not a fan of Action-Adventure's you're unlikely to persevere with this one beyond the first mission. Also 3rd Person Shooter fans may also dismiss it down to the amount of wandering around and lack of shooting.
Though to reject it just because you don't get it would be very unfortunate because despite its nuances there is a very enjoyable game here.
The basic premise is that you're in control of a four person (3 humans, 1 cyborg) security team investigating (to start with) disappearing technicians. As usual this is only a small part of a bigger picture and the story escalates.
How Project Eden differs from other games though is in the way that you control your team. Each of your 4 people has a different skill that the other 3 don't possess: Andre can fix machinery, Minoko can access computer consoles, Amber (the cyborg) can walk through hazardous environments and Carter is the people-person who does most of the talking.
This mechanic is the basis of how you go about each mission, where a path is shut until two or three of your team have utilised their skills in unlocking the next section. Switching between the four couldn't be easier with each assigned a direction on the D-pad, and you can split into groups where you can leave any number of them behind while you tackle a section or need another person to use a 2-man door switch. It works well.
(There is also a 2 player co-op mode but i haven't tested this)
However the rest of the game can leave a little to be desired. Your objectives are not always clear, some of the items you'll need to acquire to continue often can be mistaken for parts of the scenery and the aiming system is quite irritating.
The first two points especially can wear your patience a little thin as at least once in most missions i found myself running around with no clue of where i was supposed to be going or how i was going to get there. I had to refer to a guide a few times just to find out what i was supposed to be doing - and i HATE that!
Combat is fairly frequent and the decision to have a 'floating' crosshair is unusual. It's not attached to the camera control which means when your weapon is drawn the crosshairs can be moved around while the view stays static; this can make aiming a nightmare especially when you have to 'run and gun'.
You can switch to a first-person viewpoint at any time and this can alleviate the problem, but the system is generally very clumsy. Your team mates do help out though when in a fight which lessens the impact of the aiming difficulty.
There are a lot of things that can be levelled at Project Eden in criticism, not least the poor graphics, limited sound and shallow story. But you will keep coming back if you enjoy the team mechanic. The puzzles are tricky but not impossible and each of the twelve missions can take 1 or 2 hours which gives you a decent enough 20+ hour length. The dodgy aiming you won't ever get used to, but it doesn't hinder your enjoyment.
Don't go in expecting any special rewards though as there aren't any endgame unlocks, no replay incentive, and the final cutscene is crap. The Arena modes are pointless if you're playing on your own as there are no bots, though the Rover obstacle course is fun once or twice.
The bottom line is if you keep at it then you'll have fun playing. 7.5 = Flawed but fun.