by Robert Workman on Thursday, October 09, 2008
As in other video games, the future is a miserable place. In Fracture, the climate in the next century is so bad that it divides the human race into two factions. One group, the Pacificans, thinks people need advancement, and create an elite group of super-humans by altering their DNA. The Atlantic Alliance takes a different path, choosing to alter cybernetic technology rather than play God. When the Alliance attempts to ban genetic engineering, the Pacificans become angry and declare war. It's up to one particular Alliance soldier, Jet Brody, to fight back and win this battle at any cost.
What separates Fracture from other action games is its weapon selection. In particular, Jet wields a terraforming gun that allows you to raise and lower the ground, which you'll need to do in order to reach high ledges and dig up underground passages. This also comes in handy for creating temporary cover, in case you find yourself surrounded by Pacificans.
Over the course of the game, you'll locate crates that contain weapons such as a sniper rifle or a frag grenade. Others, however, are more creative. Our personal favorite is a launcher that fires missiles underground, seeking out targets and detonating upon contact. There's also a grenade that causes enormous spikes to erupt from the ground, raising ramps and knocking enemies around.
Otherwise, Fracture contains a list of familiar tactics and features. A lock-on camera points you to your next objective or nearby weapon, mission markers show you where you need to go and your weapon and energy reload automatically once they diminish. There's nothing incredibly innovative about any of this.
What doesn't work, however, is the enemy artificial intelligence. Most of the Pacificans, including a few of the bosses, aren't smart. It's easy to pick off one or two soldiers out in the field, as they rarely seek cover. To make up for this, Day One Studios ups the ante and throws several soldiers at you. When outnumbered, even by idiots, the odds are against you. As a result, you'll die often and unfairly. You could create cover with the terraforming gun, but most of the time it ends up creating unnecessary obstacles. In the end, Fracture's single-player campaign takes several hours to complete
Finally, there's the multiplayer, supported through Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. Most of the modes are typical fare, such as King of the Hill, Deathmatch and Capture the Flag. However, the Excavation mode shows some creativity. In it, you defend a spike in the middle of your base while plotting to destroy your opponent's. Since they're tall and vulnerable, it's a tricky task. We heartily recommend going right into this mode if you're up for multiplayer.
Although the game's presentation fails to excite us, the graphics and audio are passable. The level design is sharp and some of the weapon effects look great. Data chips are also located in places that take a bit of thought to get. The characters are good but they lack personality -- especially Jet Brody, who he rarely shows dedication to his cause.
At least the music is solid, a booming mix of pieces from Michael Giacchino and company. The other sound effects are average and the voice acting is laughable. We're still trying to figure out how a female pilot remains so calm while her ship crashes.
Like the ground itself, Fracture rises and falls. Had the AI been smarter, we'd have a better shooter. As is, it's a satisfactory action game that's worth a rental, if only to try out Excavation mode and that awesome "gopher gun." Every game should have one of those.
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