Breakdown

"Thought about buying Breakdown lately? Then look here..."

How many times have you been to a video game store to look for a new game to buy? Okay... now how many times have you picked up and looked at Breakdown, only to place it right back on the shelf? And how many times have you told yourself that you'll get the game later; maybe when the price drops?

Now that I'm done reading your mind, it's time to give you an account of my Breakdown experience. Just like you guys, I passed on the opportunity to buy Breakdown time after time, no matter how badly the game intrigued me. I'd always tell myself that I'd rent it first, or even wait until the price tag dropped enough. Well, because of a nifty little deal at Target, I picked this game up for a whopping $20. And even then, I still wondered if this game was worth it. Here I was, beating myself up over buying a simple game. And ironically enough, the one game I struggled to buy the most became one of my favorite games on the Xbox. This game is worth every penny spent on it, whether you find it for $20 or not. Why? Read on.

GAMEPLAY

What brought so much attention to Breakdown in the first place is it's revolutionary ''First Person Fighter'' or FPF style. If you don't already know what this means, it's a genre-bending feature that forces you to play the entire game in first person perspective. That includes the FPS combat, and more importantly, the first person hand to hand combat. Yes, you get to lay the smackdown on your foes, literally. For this reason, Breakdown immediately became surrounded in it's own hype, and obviously didn't meet everyone's outlandish expectations. The game didn't sell, quite frankly. But does this mean that the game is absolutely horrible? NO WAY.

Within a few short minutes of getting the controls down, you'll be steam rolling through armies, aliens and anything else that gets in your way. The FPF is done absolutely magnificently, with no hitches in the design at all. You'll even begin to feel like you're really there landing those punches on those scum bags. It's an absolute blast to play, and over time you'll receive special moves and techniques to keep the action going strong. I was really surprised with how good the game felt. As far as the FPS style goes, it's about as generic as it can get. It's not going to be as fluid of an experience as Halo was, so get that through your head. Bottom line is, the FPS feature is very shallow compared to the uber fun FPF style. You can obviously tell where the most time was spent in designing the combat styles.

Another complaint you might have heard about was the level design. Yes, sometimes the levels can start to look a tad familiar after spending enough time roaming through the various levels in the game. No, you can't go through every door, and no, you can't free roam. You're almost always on a set path, like it or not. But soon enough, you'll realize that this was done to make the game play at a much smoother pace. If you want to investigate every room like Sherlock Holmes, then you might want to try Resident Evil. This game is about action, and it delivers in that category.

There are dozens of enemy types in this game, each with their own distinct powers and abilities to shake things up. Without spoiling anything for you, just know that their are some pretty freaky looking beasts in this game. Be ready for them. These guys can and will knock you straight into next week; sometimes even hitting you so hard that you'll fall back and get disoriented. The camera moves wildly when this happens to simulate the confusion and disorientation of being knocked about. But not to worry, you'll be doing the same thing to them as well. And like I said before, once your powers start progressing, you are really going to feel like you are powerful. And don't forget to treat yourself to some cola and rations to replenish health. No, that doesn't mean walk over a medpac and magically have your health replenished. You have to drink that soda and eat that burger to get your health back. And you'll be doing all of that in real time, and yes, in first person perspective. Is this game that immersive? Yes. Yes it is.

Score: 9 out of 10

GRAPHICS

I never like to dwell on graphics, no matter which game I'm reviewing. I feel that it's an unimportant aspect of video gaming. As long as a game looks believable, then it's fine with me. So rest assured, this game gets the job done. It's not the prettiest thing on the Xbox by no means, but the graphical style definitely sits on a higher pedestal than the average game would. Each main character in the game looks very detailed, with blinking eyes, moving lips, and exceptional cloth movement technology. Every crash and bang looks sharp, and every special effect (and there are too many to name) are comparable to some of the more notable looking games out there. Like I said, this game isn't going to win any awards for the graphics alone, but the game is still a rich and stunning looking title.

Score: 8 out of 10

SOUND

When you play an entire game in first person perspective, it has to look, feel and sound believable. They already covered the bases with the look and feel departments, but how does it sound like? Well surprisingly enough, it sounds like you're really there. You can hear yourself breathing calmly when standing still, and you can even hear yourself panting loudly as you run through corridors. Every bite of your burger sounds like you're chomping right into a whopper, and every sip of your soda sounds like you've stepped right into a fizzy, carbonated heaven. Even during conversations with other characters in the game, their voices change and sound differently when facing a different direction, and even trail off when you walk away from them.

The voice acting in this game, much like the graphics, are above average but nothing to write home about. Each main character sounds great for the most part, but at the same time, it's not going to be on par with a game like KOTOR. A fair use of explicit language is used in the game, and is done so in a tasteful manner. You're not going to find people cursing like sailors in this game, but throwing a grenade at an enemy soldier's feet will result in a few potty words before they're blown to bits. Very well done. And there's of course, the combat. When in FPF mode, every punch you land on your enemy leads to a satisfying thump. Every impact feels and sounds like you're right there landing every blow, and nothing beats that feeling.

Score: 9 out of 10

STORY

Amidst all the hype surrounding Breakdown's groundbreaking FPF mode, little attention was left with the actual storyline of the game. And as solid as the gameplay is, what really stole the show was the absolutely jaw-dropping storyline.

Basically, you start the game waking up after being in a coma. They tell you that your name is Derrick Cole, and you have to take they're word for it. Why? Because you don't have a clue who you are or what you're doing there. You have amnesia. Yes, it's true. You don't know anything about yourself at all. And before you know it, you're busted out of there by an ''ally'' and set off to escape the lab you've resided in. Why? Who knows.

I don't want to spoil the story in any way shape or form, but all I can say is that it's one of those games that don't make sense at first, but slowly start to make sense after a while. Then soon enough, all the pieces to the puzzle will start to fit together, and you will really come to appreciate just how great of a storyline this game has. That's as far as I'll allow myself to go. I'm busting at the seams to spill the beans, but I won't... for your sake. Why? Because you're going to buy the game now.

Score: 10 out of 10

I just sold you on this game and you know it. And yes, I am reading your mind again. Breakdown is amazing in every sense of the word, and shouldn't be passed up no matter what the price may be. Don't let this game slip from your first person hands, man!

OVERALL SCORE (Not an Average): 9 out of 10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/04/04