Fracture (Xbox 360) Preview
Posted by Joe Roche on 09.23.2008
The unique terrain altering game play of Fracture is coming soon, but not soon enough.
As we inch ever closer to winter, the doldrums of summer video game releases will soon be behind us and we'll be basking in the glory of the holiday gold rush. I know I've been anxiously waiting for some of the higher profile games on the horizon to finally hit store shelves, but there is a flip side to that coin. Every so often a game comes out of nowhere to catch your eye. There isn't a gamer here that hasn't picked up a game that wasn't overly hyped, and didn't get a great deal of television exposure and if you're the ambitious type this season might be the most promising yet. I could talk about any number of the new IPs headed for your local retailer in the coming weeks but there is one above all that has my attention and after playing through the demo I can faithfully say that Fracture is a game to watch for this winter.
For those who don't know the story behind Fracture allow me to fill you in on the details. The year is 2161 and society is on the brink of total collapse. The game has been described as a futuristic vision of an American Civil War. Global warming has taken a toll on the landscape and the country has been divided into competing ideologies on how to move forward. You are Mason Briggs, a demolition expert for the Atlantic Alliance, who believes in the power of cybernetic advancements. The enemy in this battle for the future of the country is the Pacifican army, a genetically altered band of warriors.
I'm not ready to comment on the full story behind Fracture because the demo doesn't do a very good job of fleshing anything out. So until I get a better feel for the entire setting I'll hold off on a final opinion. However, what the demo lacks in background clarification it makes up for in giving a satisfying introduction to the futuristic weapons of Fracture. By now I'm sure most people are aware that Fracture features the Terrain Deformation technology, which gives Mason Briggs the opportunity to change the surrounding landscape at a whim.
To give you an idea of what I mean, if you're standing on a patch of dirt next to a wall and you want to get to the other side but you don't see a door or a ladder, relax because the terrain deformation technology gives you the power to turn a flat surface into a mountain, which you can then climb to scale the wall. This new weapons technology works in the opposite manner as well, if you're trying to get through a blocked tunnel you can use your weapons to cause a depression in the land opening up a hole big enough for you to travel through.
Each weapon that you get to experiment with throughout the demo has a different terrain deformation power. The tectonic grenades allow you the chance to toss the grenade onto a flat surface only to see it explode skywards to give you access to an otherwise unreachable point, or create a barrier between you and your enemies. That's the other major advantage to this new weapons technology, and something that adds a level of strategy to Fracture. The terrain deformation creates a natural barrier between you and the Pacifican Army members trying to do your harm. At various points throughout the demo I was able to create a wall of land in front of me to absorb some of the gunfire and keep myself alive. Of course as they continue to fire on the mound of dirt it begins to fall away so you're not protected forever, but it'll give you a chance to regroup and reload.
The demo gives you some hands on experience with all of the shiny new weapons that are available in Fracture, but the final weapon that you get your hands on takes the cake. It's a rocket launcher that works in the opposite fashion of the type of weapon you'd expect in a Call of Duty game. In fact what this weapon does is launch rockets into the ground where you can watch them burrow towards your enemies and then detonate to create giant craters at the point of impact. This toy is great fun to play around with as you watch wave after wave of enemy charge towards you only to be blown to pieces by a subsurface rocket heading straight towards them.
As far as the story progression goes the part of the game you get to see in the Fracture demo shows you trying to capture a general as he attempts his escape. I could go into more detail but trust me; the entire story comes in second to being able to try out the unique weapons of Fracture. I was going to talk in more detail about things, but I thought the best way to sum up the demo for Fracture is this way – I am crushed that this thing isn't longer, and that might be the highest praise I've ever given a demo.
All I want to do is play more of this game. I want to be able to try out the multiplayer which I can only imagine will be fantastic with the additional terrain deformation weapons. I want to fight the Pacifican Army and see if the story of Fracture holds up to the awesomeness that is the unique weapons. I want this game to be available right now, even though I understand that we're still a few weeks away. I can't say that this is a perfect demo, but it does the job that it's supposed to do. It gets me excited to play a game that before I fired up the demo I wasn't holding my breath for.
If you haven't tried out the Fracture demo yet then I highly suggest you do. It's a safe 772 MB, and the demo won't take a long time to play through. I thoroughly enjoyed the terrain deformation weapons, and I will keep my fingers crossed that the game play and storyline can keep up with the addictive weapons mechanics because if that happens then Day 1 Studios and Lucas Arts may have found a gem with Fracture.
