Watchmen: The End Is Nigh Eps 1 & 2 Review

03 Aug 2009 at 12:20:00 by Andy Alderson
Systems used to review this title: (PS3)

The first instalment in Warner’s episodic series was released via download back in March and now, as the second (and apparently final) part in the series has launched, a retail box containing both is now available. Unfortunately, what Warner doesn’t seem to have realised is that by putting both episodes together in one retail package, it highlights just how inconsistent and messy the Watchmen series is.

The first episode in The End is Nigh takes place in a pre-Keene Act 1977, a time in which the unconventional team of Rorschach and Nite Owl II is at the height of its powers. The game starts out with the pair attempting to quell a riot in Sing Sing prison in order to prevent the escape of Underboss.   They soon learn of an apparent plot to murder journalists Woodward and Bernstein, the Washington Post reporters who will uncover Nixon’s Watergate scandal.

The story is delivered through comic-book-style cutscenes which are complemented with some fairly decent voice acting from the stars of the recent film, Jackie Earle Haley and Patrick Wilson. While some of the dialogue comes across as a little hammy, especially from Wilson, the cutscenes are generally well done and, for the most part, feel in keeping with the game’s comic-book origins.

Developer Deadline has also ensured that the gameplay stays faithful to the characters created in the comic book. As such, Rorschach fights like a brawler; all knees, elbows and barely-concealed rage hammering home his own puritanical strain of justice with every blow. Nite Owl, conversely, is a much considered combatant – his elegant martial-arts-inspired move set and electrified suit mean he’s just as effective as his colleague.

The central fighting system in the game aims to strike a balance between simplicity and depth and almost gets it right. Each character has three basic attacks at their disposal: light attack, heavy attack and throw. However, you won’t get very far unless you begin to string them together by timing your attack just as the previous one hits. This will bring up a button display at the bottom of the screen indicating that you have initiated a combo. Both characters have a limited number of combos to choose from, with more unlocked as you progress through the first part of the game.

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