Wanted: Weapons Of Fate – Reviewed (360, PS3)
Movie tie in games have always been very hit and miss when it comes to the overall experience of playing them.
Some have been absolute winners and there have also been some real stinkers. Wanted: Weapons Of Fate is the latest, albeit nearly 1 year after the cinematic release, in movie adapted games to be released but does it follow down the path of the other title’s before?
Developed by Swedish outfit GRIN as a third person cover shooter ala Gears Of War and Dark Sector you will immediately see that it has taken ideas from previous games and implemented them here. The story, set 5 hours after the exploits of the film, starring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie, involves the main character Gibson trying to find more out about his mother whilst being hunted by the Fraternity. Styled in a kind of Noir feel with voiceover made the overall presentation similar to a Max Payne with cut scenes that help move the story along at a good pace.
The gameplay itself has leant itself to a few other games and has incorporated some great ideas to keep it all moving along well. The main element is to cover and shoot helped along with a control system to make it easy to pull the moves off. You enter a room, goons come in and find cover, you do the same, moving behind objects to get closer and “bang” you take down the goons. I make it sound quite simple and for the most part it is. There are extra elements that have been added which include assassinations, a brutal way of killing off the enemy if you get close enough, bullet bending, which you learn further into the game to take out enemies behind walls or if something is in the way and also the ability to slow down time. All of these combat additions are very well thought out and definitely add an extra dimension to the gameplay. The problem is that the game is so easy to go through that you may have it completed within a few hours. This is a problem because the foundation of the game itself is fun and very enjoyable and you are left wanting more, but there isn’t any. No multiplayer, no co-op and with the option to pick up hidden items through the game the only reason to want to play through it again, for a full priced game this comes up short and may be the main reason for it to drop in price before you dive in.
The control system is very well thought out with most of the moves being as easy as pushing one button to execute the required move. The cover system again is easy to use and allows smooth movement between objects. If you get close enough to an enemy then a one button push will have you reaching over and stabbing him with a bloodthirsty lunge. The control as a whole works very well indeed allowing you to blind fire and pull special moves off as easily as it is to complete the game. There are some nice touches also with bullet bending and the odd change of pace to the game also as you get sniping missions too.
The A.I is a bit shabby which gives very little challenge at all. It is very easy to blind fire over the top of your cover to pin the enemy down and move to a location where you can get a quick shot in for the kill and the bosses also pose very little threat in a part of the game which should supply a little more difficulty to be able to get to the next section of the story. The plus side to this is that you can create even more ingenious ways to kill your foe with the tools that you have which makes for more entertaining gameplay on the whole. There are a few flaws with the cover system too. Most of the time you cannot get hit but there are times when a limb is sticking out which get you tagged. The flip side is that enemies could have a limb out and where you think you have the shot you need to take them down, this isn’t the case with bullets hitting the wall rather than your opponent.
There is not much more to say about the game really apart from I feel that this was a wasted opportunity to really do something more creative with what they had. The clever additions to the game have been done really well like the bullet bending and slow motion, where you can actually shoot bullets out of the sky etc but feel that the length of time it takes to complete with no added elements like a co-op mode or campaign sells this title a little short. I will say though that this is one of the better tie in titles out there and if you were a fan of the film then a purchase may be required.
Wanted: Weapons Of Fate (PS3, Xbox 360)
Graphics – the graphics are solid with a smooth framerate. The texture design looks good and cut scenes give an overall feel of a noir game ala Max Payne. The slow motion works really well and seeing bullets coming towards you that you can shoot out of the sky (required at times) gives for no complaints at all.
Gameplay – An easy control system to master with fluid and smooth movement at all times. The game is a lot of fun to play but with shabby A.I and a linear level design that lets it down a bit
Replay Value – Unfortunately this is none, unless you would like to go through it again picking up hidden pieces and such but would not give you the buzz to play it a second time. Yeah, you could unlock extra characters to play but you really wouldn’t want to. Just the smallest of ideas in this department would have escalated the quality of the game but this is its main failing.
Sound – Good quality voiceovers and sound effects that are lifted from the film. The voiceover does add to the emotion of the game and I have no complaints here.
Overall – The game works well and is paced competently, you know what you are getting into and the little tricks of the game work really well indeed. The main complaint is with the longevity of the game and once completed you will not want to return to it (probably). As I said before though, this is one of the better movie tie in games out there and for what there was of it I had a hell of a lot of fun.
