Damnation [PS3]

14 Jun 2009 at 17:29:25 by Kizzi Nkwocha
Systems used to review this title: (PS3)

Never ascribe to malice that which can adequately be explained by incompetence. Napoleon uttered these words shortly after the battle of Leipzig during which his forces were routed.

On reflection, he may well have said that after playing Damnation. In an age where developers are striving to outdo each other with greater degrees of realism and immersion it should be inconceivable that a shoddy, shambling shipwreck of a game like this would be allowed to hit the shelves. To say that playing Damnation is about as much fun as watching old people eat would be an understatement. Yes, we all saw the television interviews during which Code Masters PR people, grinning like a demented Cheshire cats, boasted of the games innovative approach to the first person shooter formula. They promised us a new dimension in gaming (verticality) which would require a fresh mindset to overcome its challenges.

But, in reality, what they've delivered is a game that falls woefully short in almost every department. Developed by film company, Blue Omega Entertainment, the game was originally released as an Unreal 2004 Modification and won 2nd Place in the $1,000,000 Nvidia Make Something Unreal Contest.  Damnation is based in a steampunk alternative world where the American Civil War has drawn on for decades. Eventually both sides find themselves fighting a rich industrialist called Prescott who wants to do away with the Union and Confederate armies and take over the world.

You get to control freedom fighter Hamilton Rourke who is tasked with saving the world from tyranny.
If Damnation's mindless plot were its only shortcoming, we could easily overlook this basic flaw and concentrate on the end product. However, its lack of originality is perhaps the best you can say about Damnation. Where do we begin with this one?

To be honest Damnation's list of woes is longer than the queue at the Peckham Social Security Office on a Monday morning. Despite the fact that this game utilises the  Unreal Engine,  Damnation is about as attractive as the north end of a southbound donkey. The characters are clichéd cardboard cutouts in a bland textureless 3-D environment. Admittedly, the game provides the considerable draw distance necessary to showcase its elevated obstacles.   However, the level design is very similar to what five-year-olds do at playschool before the teacher takes the crayon away. The frame rate is shocking, glitches abound throughout and there is nothing of interest to look at - -- apart from your sad reflection on the television screen as you plough your way through this road accident of a game.
Blue Omega appeared to have approached the drawing board stage of the game development with lofty yet unoriginal ideals.   The result is that the game borrows almost all of its ideas from far superior titles and, in the process, is indeed a jack of all trades and master of none.

Case in point: Damnation uses the same cover system pioneered by Gears of War. But, unlike Gears and subsequent games using the same method, while hiding behind a shelter you are unable to aim and shoot.  So, in order to fire at someone, you have to stand and expose yourself to being taken out.  Aaargh!    Another example:  Just like Tomb Raider and the sublime Drake's Fortune, you must climb perilous ledgers, vault polls and rappel across chasms.  But, despite this being a game which relies on firepower, you are unable to shoot your weapon while performing some pretty basic tasks such as standing on a ledge.

While we're on the subject of shooting, after a few minutes of playing this game the only person you really want to shoot is yourself. Damnation boasts some of the most feeble weapons ever seen in a modern action title.   The weapons are inaccurate, flimsy and lack any semblance of weight. It stands to reason then that you often have to shoot an enemy 20 times before you drop them. But, in a perverse attempt to balance things out, they can kill you with just one shot. The game also utilises the team system whereby you are accompanied by team mates who are supposed to aid you in your task.  But these team members are about as much use as a pair of sunglasses to a man with no ears. At the first mention of a firefight they invariably go blundering in like Stevie wonder on speed and are incapacitated almost immediately. This then means that you have to try to find and revive them (more on this later) so that you can continue the mission. With regards to finding them, or finding anything else for that matter, Damnation commits the cardinal sin of omitting to provide a map or radar.   So, once you get turned around, you have absolutely no way of judging in which direction to go. To be fair,   Damnation does offer multiple routes to an objective.  However, these are of no consequence as you have no idea when the choice is available. The game does offer the obligatory co-op and online modes where you can, in theory, play against friends.  But to admit that you actually own this game could reduce the number of friends you have in one fell swoop.   We could go on lamenting this game's shortcomings but, if you've read this far already, you will probably already have a clear picture of where this review is going.

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