• Overall score 35%
• Fun Factor 2.2
• Visuals 4.8
• Story 3.8
• Sound 4.8
• Longevity 4.7
• Originality 4.8

User score35%

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0100%

• Publisher: Codemasters
• Developer: Blue Omega
• Platform: PC, Xbox 360, PS3
• Release date: 2009-05-22
• Genre: Futuristic-Western Action
• Buy now

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Shock and Awe

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Fragarena Lan 11- 12 December 2009 XMAS LAN

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The day we have forever feared…has finally arrived. The world as we know it has plunged into a dark and dreadful time and destruction and malice reign supreme. Everywhere people are forced into slavery and horded like sheep, and those that are lucky enough to still have their lives, hide away in the hillsides for fear of being slaughtered like cattle.

All of this is because of a sadistic dictator known as Prescott and his blood-thirsty armies of gun happy robots. Who will rise from this shroud of fear to restore this once glorious land to its pristine glory? Why, you of course.

You play Hamilton Rourke, a veteran of a devastating war which has torn the country of the New America apart.  It is your mission to bring down the evil forces of the PSI as well as discover the whereabouts of your wife.

Set against a futuristic-western backdrop, Damnation will have players battling Nazi-ninjas, giant howitzer cannons and one extremely hot and scantily clad female antagonist.

The PSI is killing all those that oppose them and you’re the only hope to stop them. Apart from that, you are looking for your wife, who they have taken captive and are torturing. Fuelled by hatred and armed to the teeth, it is your goal to drive your Frankenstein looking motorcycle right into the belly of the beast and take her back.

Along with horribly scripted dialogue, the game has a plethora of bugs in it which result in people and actions appearing and disappearing at random. This happens with disturbing frequency, and players will be in the middle of a heated gun battle, trying desperately not to die, when all of a sudden another trooper will appear out of thin air to unload a decidedly unhealthy amount of lead into them.

Along with this happening in-game, Damnation also has buggy and poorly directed cut-scenes. The protagonist will be depicted reaching out to grab someone sitting behind a wall, and then all of a sudden he’s running up a hill being guided by the hand. Although this would be fine in many cases, the scenes never actually show you picking the character up and carrying them or even assisting them, which is just sloppy directing.

The guys at Codemasters and Blue Omega said that the entire game’s focus is on vast, open and vertical battling. The concept is actually not that bad. Basically, hold on to anything while shooting, climb up to the highest roof tops and reign down destruction from a a variety of advantageous positions.

Unfortunately the control system is so basic and adolescent, that even a 3-year old would get bored with it. The gameplay is almost like a mixture between the first Prince of Persia and Angel of Darkness.

Most of the time the camera tracks the action so badly that players are likely to either plummet to their death or get filled with more bullets than 2Pac.

You could search high and low trying to find the redeeming qualities in this game, but you would fail miserably.

Fun Factor

Between horrible camera angles, awfully laid-out control schematics and more bugs than a derelict Pizzeria, Damnation is so bad that most won’t even be able to muster up the perseverance to sit through more than one level.

If you’re not constantly dying thanks to the constant rain of bullets and lack of a cover system then your dying because of your camera angle being in the wrong position at the wrong time. In fact, it’s so awful that death often comes as a relief.

Visuals

Damnation brings nothing spectacular or awe-inspiring to the table. Most landscapes look passé and the enemy textures look flat and dull.

The only time the game has some form of true beauty is when it shows you a new area which you have to explore, but even then, it’s nothing to write home about. The guys at Codemasters simply delivered an extremely unpolished game, and one that feels like it should be played on a PS2…not a PS3.

Story

Although the balance between good and bad storylines seems to be rather on the level in the gaming world, Damnation’s story is so bad that it has actually been known to induce nauseating fits*. It’s ambiguous and extremely vague. Even the Indian shaman explaining the events as they transpire does not make any sense. Every word that erupts from characters mouths is covered in cheese and fondue’d for flavour.

Sound

Sound is generally a difficult department to stuff-up. When done amazingly it can bring a lot to a game, such as is seen in Deadspace. While not living up to the sky high standards of our favourite deep-space-survivalist-horror, most games are at least able to put something passable together. Not Damnation.

Although the sounds of the guns are OK, they’re not spectacular. Calling the explosions mediocre is being kind, and the score is either non-existent or appears in short, unmotivated bursts.

You could play this game on ear deafening levels or without sound at all…it wouldn’t make a difference to the gameplay.

Originality

Western’s have been around since the 40’s and the idea of bringing the gunslingers of the west into the future is one that has been swimming around Hollywood for ages. The reason why nobody has attempted it? Because it is old, and very, very difficult to pull off with class.

If the story board directors behind the likes of Bioshock or Half Life 2 got together they could probably pull something out of the futuristic-western hat, but the chaps behind Damnation may as well have been replaced by a gang of stoned bees.

Longevity

The only vague sort of strong point Damnation has going for it, is that it allows for split screen playing with a friend through the entire campaign. This would be especially relevant if the general experience was not comparable to watching paint dry on a leaky septic tank. 

Bottom line

A colossal disappointment. The thought of actually paying money for this title is infuriating. With so many great games out there at the moment, wasting your hard earned crackers on this horrible game is simply a total and utter sham.

If you really need a Western, wait for Call of Juarez 2.

*Citation needed

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