Fracture

Split down the middle

Case in point, pacing is lazy and level design is strictly linear throughout, providing very little motivation for the player to search through environments outside of the 100 collectable Data Cells scattered throughout the game (which unlock the Weapons Testing facility on the main menu screen). Also, it seems clear that developer Day 1 Studios (F.E.A.R., MechAssault) has attempted to ape the feel and pacing of the Halo and Gears of War series by creating set-piece scenarios that should exude tension and scale, but instead become uninspired confrontations that largely fail to muster sustained power beyond the marauding lethality of Brody's unassailable arsenal.

It's also something of a stinging disappointment that Pacifican A.I. opposition is restricted in terms of the weaponry it can utilise in its efforts to wipe out the American Alliance's one-man army. While Brody can utilise anything found on the battlefield, A.I. adversaries don't similarly pick up and lob Vortex Grenades to attack Alliance troops or pop off multiple Black Widow detonations to flush Brody out of cover positions.

The sheer amount of destruction open to the player, while no-doubt impressive and attractive, does make Fracture a little on the easy side, with very little standing in Brody's path for too long before eventually crumbling before the might of deformation ordnance that's liberally placed throughout every environment.

That's not to say Fracture isn't fun to play, or is in any way broken from a gameplay point of view, but the lack of challenge and unimaginative A.I. occasionally grates as the game continually lapses into grinding through repetitive standoffs. Also, once into the third and final act, Brody's access to battlefield weaponry becomes so vast that the A.I often resorts to weight of numbers as opposed to genuinely tough opposition. The distinctly throwaway narrative doesn't help matters either, with the game never able to sustain a sense of connection between the characterless Brody and the person behind the controller.

Fracture's presentation is a mixed bag of pluses and minuses. Its clean and crisp futuristic graphics largely work well with regard to smooth processing and a lack of tearing, texture popping or clipping, but fail to wow thanks to a somewhat gaudy comic style that cheapens the overall feel of the world. Similarly, while the scarred and bald-headed Brody cuts a convincing figure in heavy armour and jump-enhancing tectonic boots, both Pacifican and American Alliance troops are often little more than masked generic automatons, devoid of character and sporting poor design and insipid colour schemes.

Being a LucasArts title, the musical score in Fracture is of a typically high standard, providing an intuitive accompaniment to the all-action gameplay. However, it is worth noting that some of the more sombre orchestrations feel as though they've been 'borrowed' from James Horner's Aliens soundtrack - which is no bad thing given the obvious atmospheric advantages such a creative homage provides.

Out on the battlefield, the wide range of applicable weaponry requires a wide range of tangible effects capable of resonating within both large and small environments, and Fracture doesn't disappoint in delivering effective explosions and thick, pumping gunfire that holds attention while inspiring the occasional duck and sway from the player.

In terms of concluding appraisal, if there's one thing worse than berating a lousy game that falls flat in every respect, it's having to pick apart a disappointing release that clearly has obvious qualities that haven't been adequately supported by its creators. In the case of Fracture, its concept of reshaping environments to influence battles and access the game world is fabulous in its originality and it manages to work well within the limited structure Day 1 and LucasArts have afforded it. Yet therein lies the problem, because the uninspired futuristic Earth, lacklustre storyline and soulless main protagonist are simply not collectively strong enough to provide the impressive deformation technology with the high-profile platform it undoubtedly deserves.

If the creative forces behind Fracture had been willing to truly believe in its inventive gameplay mechanic then the end result could have reached well into the gaming industry's higher echelons. As it is, the rather languid presentation, rinse and repeat battle formula, and lack of A.I. variety mean that the appealing deformation elements come off as cobbled gimmickry designed to add a little gloss to a solid but staid third-person shooter.

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By Stevie Mostyn