In 2010 when this was released the press was all over it, like excited children at Christmas begging for that new robot that transforms into a different kind of robot, maybe one with lasers. Once opened and unwrapped however many children were a bit dismayed, expecting shinny plastic with snap-to features and gaudy sound effects only to realise it was a display only kit-model, and without any glue to boot. I however had the opposite effect, the above comparison is apt as this game requires a certain outlook and style to enjoy it. At E3 where I first saw this I was impressed when somebody else was playing it but when I got a chance nothing gelled like it should have, now however I’m going to sing it’s praises.

 

The game is set in the near future, global population is out of control, food is in high demand and energy is in short supply. To combat this the USA built a 51st state in space, a 10-mile diameter O'Neill cylinder called Providence 01 that houses 10 million people but also captures the solar rays, converts the energy to microwaves and fires them at earth to provide energy (actually might happen, google it). Russia on the other hand has had a hard time with the rising population, the food and energy crisis and a military coup have taken control of the country. You know what that means kids? It’s time for a good out fashion cold-war “what if” scenario.

 

 

Yes the Russians have attacked Providence 01, high jacked its microwave transmitter and basically cooked San Francisco. Time to send in the marines with the help of our hero Sam Gideon, a gravelly voiced, chain-smoking bad-ass that is testing some brand new power-armour. Oh and you also have bionic Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Burns as backup, who is a no-nonsense tough guy that only cares about getting the job done and who has an even gruffer sounding voice. If you can’t tell the story isn’t meant to be taken seriously, the developers Platinum games are Japanese, and all the American action-hero stuff is so over the top and clichéd you couldn’t possibility be expected not to laugh.

 

Gameplay wise it’s a very Japanese take on the very western third-person-cover-shooter-genre we’re all fans of. And I don’t mean like that abysmal game Quantum Theory, this is the real deal. It borrows from the greats like Gears of War where you can quickly and easy make use of chest-high-walls, dive over them, stick to them, pop up and shoot from them before ducking back and then quickly un-stick yourself with the mere flick of a directional suggestion. It comes as natural as breathing at this point but the game isn’t about chest-high walls and taking cover. There is a fair amount of that, you’ll want to reload in cover and take a breather, but this game is altogether more frantic.

 

 

This is because of the new power-armour Sam is wearing. By holding down the LB button (360 version obviously) you can power-slide your way across the battle-field. Allowing you to seamlessly cover ground to flank or avoid enemies. Coupled with the ability to enter bullet-time; you can speed up to the side of cowering enemies, drop, roll and carefully line up a couple of head shots before diving behind some cover to avoid any direct fire. There is also a melee attack but you’ll want to be careful when using that because it uses all of your suit’s power. Everything is powered by your overheating prone suit and it takes a long while to cool down. The game becomes less like a hardened tooth and nail battle that sees you painfully advancing one wall at a time as you pick off the enemies and more like a dance. You skilfully speed around the arena, taking out foes in the most impressive ways carefully managing the limited precious suit power. It’s a very carefully balanced game designed with the online leader boards in mind, to play this game is any other way would be doing it a disservice and robbing you of a lot of fun.