Breakdown

"Here's the breakdown on Breakdown. GET IT? IT'S FUNNY!!"

I'm such a weird gamer. I never really was into the FPS scene (except for Goldeneye 64), but I still decided to try out Namco's "Breakdown." Since then, I've played many more FPS games and realized that this genre is actually a pretty good one. I'm not saying Breakdown is the "reason" I got into FPS's, but it was a bit of a start. Not an amazing start, but a start nonetheless.

STORY:
You play a character who wakes up in an experimental room with no idea as to what's going on... Sound familiar? Have you read my reviews for a bunch of other games? Or maybe just played a bunch of other games? Really, this "I'm an amnesiac!" introduction to a videogame is nothing new at all... but you know what? I usually end up loving the final product. Breakdown is no exception. Yes, Derrick (the protagonist) meets a cute girl, has "special" powers, and is responsible for saving the world. But why do I love this story so much? Well, besides the total badass antagonist, Solus, the otherwise cliche psychic-dude story takes a complete 180 turn every time you think you know what's going on. And the best part? The biggest twist is almost told to you from the get-go, without you even realizing it. Trust me, this is much more than "who am I? Oh well, I guess I'll save the world."
STORY: 9.5/10

GRAPHICS:
The Xbox is a pretty powerful hunk of plastic and metal, and Breakdown could have easily showed that. It gets close--Alex, Solus, and the rest of the main characters look exceptional. The T'Lan look very nice too, but there are no more than six different models of them that you'll be seeing over and over. Then there are the environments, which are possibly the most boring you'll see on an Xbox game. Inside, you'll see a lot of gray. Outside looks a little better, but it's still pretty bland. Then towards the end of the game, you're in this ugly-as-all-hell cave-area that almost requires sunglasses.
GRAPHICS: 6/10

SOUNDS:
Excellent voice-actors make Breakdown much more enjoyable, along with good sound effects and some pretty fitting, though forgettable, music (except the song that plays during the credits... I love the Mute button). Something I really liked was how the T'Lans didn't speak--actually, they were completely silent. It really adds to their already-menacing nature.
SOUNDS: 8.5/10

GAMEPLAY:
This is where you really pull for Breakdown, but it just doesn't work out. Honestly, this would've worked much better as a movie. No, the gameplay isn't horrible, but there are so many things they could've done better that it is ultimately pretty disappointing.

Breakdown isn't just called an FPS--it actually is an FPS. You ARE Derrick. Instead of walking over ammo and health items, you must physically pick them up and drink them. When hit, you actually SEE what Derrick sees. You get knocked down, you see the sky. You do a backflip, you get really dizzy. You puke into a toilet... you get the idea. Yes, this is a tried and true FPS, something that makes Breakdown very unique. Unique doesn't always mean good, though, but Breakdown gets damn close. If it weren't for the valves that Derrick opens... so... slowly... this would be excellent. You will often be in an intense chase scene (running from an invincible T'Lan, for example), when you come to a valve door, and you turn it as if you've got all the time in the world. And then you're dead. Other than that, though, I really liked this new idea.

The valves are only the beginning, though--Breakdown gets much more difficult than that. You are often way too outnumbered to hold your own, and Alex and her "trusty" knife are pretty much dead weight. The worst part, even when you're fighting just one T'Lan, it's a simple "move this way, then hit it" method before one of you goes down. And when you do get hit, you wonder how you're so much weaker than those damn mutants. Most of the seven-hour game gives the T'Lan a very unfair advantage. This game is just way too hard. I'd actually recommend playing through Easy mode, because it's actually fun rather than frustrating. You will die so many times, don't be surprised if you go through more than one controller by the time you're done.

When not fighting T'Lans, you're fighting the dumbass soldiers. Now I expect the soulless T'Lans to have slightly under-par AI, but the soldiers are just ridiculous. Shoot, hide sometimes, yell "grenade!" That wraps it up. These dudes are so stupid, Alex could probably take them on with her knife alone. It does get unfair, of course, when you're surrounded by over 10 of these idiots blasting away at you. For all their stupidity, get them grouped up and Derrick's screwed.

While you can fight the soldiers with a couple lame guns and your new powers that you gain as the story continues, the T'Lans can only be disposed of with the latter. This makes the game slightly more fun, because using the small variety of guns sucks hard. Most of your newer powers are pretty useless, but dishing it out Derrick-style makes for a little more entertainment.

All in all, Breakdown could've been a great new way to play an FPS, but it comes up way too short in way too many departments. The sad part is, the broken gameplay isn't the only problem--just read the next section.
GAMEPLAY: 5/10

LASTING APPEAL:
The single-player mode takes around just seven hours to complete. Once that's over with, that's it. No multiplayer and no online. When was this game made again? Come on Namco, we all know you're better than that. There are some unlockables once you beat it, but they are far from worth the trouble (art galleries, some music...). Should you pay fifty bucks for this game? No. No no no no no. Maybe five. Or a rental. Yes, definitely a rental. If that.
LASTING APPEAL: 3/10

OVERALL:
If you play Breakdown, you will play it for the amazing story. You will not play to see what exciting new powers Derrick can use, you will not play it to find more enemies to fight, and you will not play it to discover new environments to look at. You will play it for the story. Enough said.
OVERALL: 5.7/10 (6 when rounded)

Thanks for reading =)

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/16/07