Easily one of the best PS2 Platformers- It would be the BEST if ONE thing had been different...
If you are interested in why I gave this game such a high rating, have patience and read on! I look at BOTH the good and bad, and have played SEVERAL games so I am not just being an idiot in saying this game is great. This game is a must buy!
-What is the "ONE" thing that shoul have been different, you ask?-
A little longer in the cooking pot, with some more development, and this game would be an all around hit. Even now, however, it still is fantastic.
The GOOD:
+ Humor is not "Oh come on.." style; there are some well-done jokes.
+ Level designs are very realistic, and in a game like this, taking place in a gigantic corporation, this helps.
(ex. there is not a linear- style, jump to some random platform and over a sudden pool of lava kind of gameplay. Everything that IS used in the game, has reason to be there. The air purifiers you swing from could actually be in a factory. Very believeable environment!)
+ Graphics are decent- Considering this is a 2003 game, and many games fail in comparison. Yes, things might look half-baked and blocky, but that, overall, is not entirely bothersome.
+ Combat is decent- you don't just have one or two attacks. Yes, to gamers who like tremendous variety, you probably will be disappointed. However, there are several combos, and in combination with the reactions of the enemies (who put up a good fight most the time), the combat is great.
+ Very original concept- the story is not like "Yeah.. that's dumb". For some reason, it releases rage in yourself to beat the crap out of dimwitted humans.
+ Although there is not a WIDE variety of enemies, the enemies that are in the game are often tough, and you can't actually 'kill' them, which adds to the game's ability of not being unrealistically dumb. You knock the enemies out, which is actually more fun- I think it is possible to kill them with nitrogen freeze.
+ The mechanics of the game may be repetitive to many people, but breaking stuff and progressing through the game freeing animals, exploring, and fighting CRUEL people is interesting
+ The world of Genron is pretty big! Although there are many hallways and repeated scenery, have you ever been in a big place like a factory? Repeated scenery is present in almost every building.
The BAD:
- The game is half-baked in many areas, and a little more time in the development cooking pot would have GREATLY benefited this game.
- Sounds get repetitve after awhile. Redmond and the enemies' remarks get kind of old, but not so bad as to quit the game.
- In some areas, you can get literally stuck, or some other kind of small glitch occurs. In areas like this, you either have to keep button mashing to get out, reset the console, or try to find another glitch to unglitch yourself.
- The length of this game, while not short, is not as long as it could have been. It was a good enough storyline that they could have milked some more ideas out of it to give it much more time.
- The enemies, whiles as I mentioned were somewhat plentiful, would have been much more interesting if they had less-blocky looks, more remarks, and maybe had more attacks. They also could have had more types.
- Repetition. For many people, like me, the repetition in areas of the game didnt really bother me enough to quit. However, at times it was frustrating, especially when you had to back track, became lost, or breaking stuff and knocking people out seemed boring.
Overall, I really enjoyed this game, and it has decent replay value. A little more time in development, and this game would have a 10.
My favorite departments: Shipping, Waste, Medical.
My favorite enemy: Janitor (if you really look at their faces, they are freaky. They are also fun to fight, but actually can be a bit scary because of how they chase you.)