Breakdown

Decent

Breakdown is decent. It has some innovative features like fighting in first person view and other stuff I forgot. The story will be confusing if you dont pay attention. Gets pretty hard considering this is an FPS.

a quality title overlooked by the mainstream

this could be considered the first ever "first person puncher" as throughout most of the game you engage in bare-fisted melee combat in the first-person perspective. these aren't simple hand slaps, either. you fight like you do in any good fighting game, attacking your enemies with a variety of moves, blocking your opponent's attacks, and using the occasional special move when the situation becomes too hot to handle. this is all handled seamlessly in the first person perspective, something never attempted before and would have resulted in disaster if put into lesser hands. but the developers accomplish this daring experiment with effortless gusto. i'm highly impressed. this isn't all fistcuffs though, as there are guns you will acquire. these will prove to be ineffective later on though once you come across seemingly invincible foes, until you lay a good beating with your superhuman fists of might.

this is also great as an experience as well. the first person perspective never leaves you throughout the story, a la half-life. you're in the character's shoes through everything, from fist-fights to drinking soda and even to frequent bouts of profuse vomiting. there are plenty of great suspense sequences as well, which i will not spoil for you, which aids the atmosphere.

speaking of atmosphere, you will experience hallucinations in this game, putting you in a desert-like setting among others. this helps to break the monotony of the level design. that's right, all is not well in what is otherwise a quality game unified by a focused sense of creativity and concept: the level designs are terrible.

for much of the time you walk through gray corridors, some going on for long stretches of time, and this puts a dent in the experience. not too big of a dent though, as everything else is so well-done that this is a forgiveable flaw. it's too bad this game sold like crap, as a next-gen sequel expanding on this game's fundamentals, improving on many aspects, and fixing its flaws would have been more than welcome in my book. get this game if you can still find it.

It'll suck you in...

Looks: Well, it's a hit or almost miss. Thie hits: Character design is phenominal. Texturing really helped with this. I really liked this one particular part where your partner, Alex, has a single tear stroll down her face. The texturing on a cut she has, and the way the tear leaves a streak, are great. But the levels leave a LOT to be desired. Flat texturing abound, though you do feel as if you are in your surroundings. Sounds: The voice acting is very well done. Nothing cheesey here, just straight forward, down to the story. Weapon effects are pretty original, and you'll immediately know what's going on, just by different audio cues. The musical score is pretty good, too. Controls: A little awkward at first. A lot of people complain about the item grabbing interface. I didn't have a problem with it really, unless it's in the heat of battle that I'm picking something up. Everything controls fairly smoothly, just with a couple of mess ups here and there. Overall though, I enjoyed the controls. Gameplay: Fun, confusing, emotional, challenging, but frustrating. The only big problem I had with the game is how annoying it can be to have to do certain parts over and over... And over... AND OVER AGAIN. Then a few dozen other tries, then you hit lucky and move on. Other than that, it's really a fun game. I'm not one to get involved in a game's story, as I'm just in it to play the game, but I really enjoyed the story here. Some games just have a story to pull it together, but you actually play the story here. Fun: This is sensative. If you're turned off by frustration in a game, stay away. If you want something different from the rest of the pack, you'll feel more than welcome here. My personal experience has left me feeling complete with the game, with a little desire for more. Basically, I'm saying that despite the few frustrations in the game, it was definitely worth it.

this game sucks

this game sucks.everthing about it i thought was awful.the only thing pretty good was the graphics. Graphics2.5 Sound1.5 Control1.0

Breaking In As A Sleeper Hit!

I must say lately there has been a lack of "story " in games. "You are here, kill this, smother that, and..oh yeah! Bleed this guy real slow..." That is what most shooters have boiled down to lately. The days of Half- Life these are not, althought Breakdown is a big ol' diamond in the rough. Hands down this is better storytelling than most books I have read! Everything pans out from the first person perspective, no matter what. I would go on about the story but I wish to ruin none of it for anyone. All I can say is when you see a tear glide down the face of a certain person you will feel a great connection and love for this beautiful game. On to the next order of business, the graphics. While player models are especially well done, the first half of the levels are rather drab. Although this is understandable as you are in a research center. The last half of the game's levels are great and all but make up for the first half. Next up is the gameplay. Not much is needed to be said except that the gunplay is easy with an auto targeting reticle. The meat of the game, however, lies in the fighting. After a some what in the dark first fifteen minutes you will feel as if the controller is none existent. Finally is the sound. While the gunfire can become a repetitive pounding, the musical score is beautiful. Sweeping orchastral to pumping techno will have you wanting the included music player. In closing all I can say is, "SLEEPER HIT!!!" It is also worth noting that those of you worried about dropping fifty for it can rest easy. It now runs for a steal at twenty! Please buy this game, for it needs a sequel and without half decent sales it will get none.