The game follows Faith, a 'runner' in an unnamed totalitarian metropolis where everymove is under surveillance and every point of contact recorded. A runners job is to take messages under the radar. Basically, you're a rebellious freerunner who will get shot. A lot. As the game progresses the player delves deeper into the corruption filling the city. Chapters begin on rooftops where Faith must use pipes, ledges and walls to scale skyscrapers and other landmarks. From here Faith will usually have to make her way into these surveillance strongholds to deliver messages.
Faith is equipped with nothing but her hands, feet and what EA have dbbed 'Runner's Vision', a colour coded trail directing you towards your objectives. with red being the easiest.
So, I borrowed the game, loaded it and got ready for what I was sure would be an exhillerating experience. And it was! Until... well, the end of the tutorial. Now I am not a complex gamer who depends on realisim (to an extent) though one aspect of gaming which really annoys me is the use of linear gameplay. When I turn something on I like for their to be a certain level of freedom seen in titles such as Fable 1/2 and the Grand Theft Auto series. I don't play these games so much for the action or violence and on occasion I have been known to skip any cutscenes (*ahem* GTA) - I just like the feeling of freedom and exploration yet this game has so little. The freerunning in first-person works so well yet paths are limited and you're lead to each objective in what can only be described as a clumsy fashion with your 'runners vision' pointing in vaguely the right direction. In fact at times the player is surrounded by a variety of coloured buildings but with no way of getting to them.
During development, chief producer Owen O'Brien described ME in the following way: "this is an action adventure. We're not positioning this as a shooter - the focus isn't on the gun, it's on the person." This comment is very, very true of the final product. The combat engine in this game although clever (Limited to one round, weapons slow player down) is also infuriating with A.I being 'clicky' - at some times heading for cover and then at others just staring blankly. The realism to the game works well with only a dfew bullets taking down Faith though after countless deaths from either opponent or obstacle this gets tidious.
As far as gameplay goes, I have had about 5 hours gameplay and am on chapter 7 of 9 - why so short? Each chapter lasts less than that of a single Halo level - just 1! And this is on 'Normal'! 'Hard' is unlocked once the game has been completed though this means that "Runners Vision' is turned off and enemies are increased: can I be bothered?
I hate to moan about this game - really I do! Visually this game is stunning, beautiful. The way in which the city is produced is amazing and the use of minimal colour works well as, when colour is found it generally is greatly welcomed. As well as visually, the team have created a story and world which is ready for unlimited exapansion without feeling like an 'add-on'. Runner's Vision works well most of the time and is an interesting aspect which can be greatly played upon in the future. It seems like the programmers made an amazing concept, amazing visuals and an amazing basic experience though tried squeezing it in a two tighter place - why? It is compelling yet tiresome at the same time.
Overall, how do I rate this game? It really is beauty versus beast: brilliant visuals against abrupt endings and poor level creation. I would advise anyone to play this game but perhaps not spend £40 on it, go in with an open mind and ready to enjoy. It seems more like a prolonged Beta or something similar. And what a shame it is too, maybe with a little more time and patience it could have been the Fable of the First-person world. Alas not.
Rating - 7/10
