From a shooting standpoint, Fracture fails. It’s repetitive, the mechanics are clunky, and the multitude of targets firing at the player at any given time is borderline ridiculous. Fracture has one thing going for it, and that’s terrain deformation. That one thing is enough to raise this otherwise standard third-person affair from mediocre to something notable.
There’s little doubt that Fracture is flawed in a number of ways. Right from the start, the story is intriguing, but the political side never goes anywhere. In the end, it’s nothing more than a set-up for a sequel, one of those growing gaming clichés that’s quickly becoming annoying.
That said, the mundane narrative makes for a logical reason for Fracture’s main mechanic. Global warming has caused flooding, and the invention of terrain deformation was used to stop it. The war that developed between the east and western coasts of the US is the setting for a large scale war, and your main defense is the deformation of the environment.
Players control the hideously named Jet Brody. Enemies use generic tactics in their assault, leading to some rather dumb AI. However, that’s possibly on purpose. Making them stupid means it’s easier to do some truly spectacular kills on a regular basis. Flipping the ground up directly beneath a few foes and watching them fly into the air is hilarious (and satisfying).
Weapon selection nearly comes close to challenging Insomniac (Ratchet & Clank) in terms of its insanity. While much of the game is played with standard shotguns and assault rifles, things that a turn when you gain grenades that suck up all objects around its explosion. Not only are the physics impressive, the insanity of seeing everything clumped together and then explode is a treat.
The level of destruction is both impressive and limited. When something is designed to come down, or if as chain reaction is set up, seeing everything go “boom” is a blast. Sadly, most objects are purely stationary and will remain so regardless of how you play with the environment.
Terrain deformation quickly becomes second nature to the player, feeling as natural as jumping. Setting a defensive stance is as easy as pulling the ground up, or sending enemies into a pit to block their shots. This is not only a means to block shots or reach higher ledges, but an ingenious mechanic to design puzzles around. Using an energy ball/globe to destroy a shield seems simple enough, yet you’ll have to maneuver the ground in front of it to guide it to its target.
Fracture also includes the obligatory driving level, and even with the deformation, it still feels pulled out of Halo. There’s no logical reason for a vehicle that controls this poorly to be made in the first place. The entire level feels tacked on at that last minute.
The game splits itself into three chapters. Wile Jet Brody and foes are rather colorful, there are only so many different ways to color dirt. The monotone backdrops become monotonous until chapter three opens in Washington during a heavy snowstorm. This stage is beautiful, and it’s a shame the others can’t equal it.
Repetition is something this title fights with the entire game. The soundtrack would either make John Williams proud, or make him sue for copyright infringement. There’s more than a little Star Wars in the themes, and you’ll hear them repeat quite often. Enemy types increase as the game moves on, but with a few exceptions, they hardly fight any differently from each other. The final boss is nothing more than a carbon copy of a previous fight, only extended.
Multi-player is a blast, though at this point, doesn’t have much a community. The deformation means every match is unique, and the ability to create cover at any time to avoid snipers is wonderful. Game types mostly revolve around King of the Hill style matches, which is a shame. While a few make use of the unique aspects of the game, the majority feel plucked from another other online shooter.
Fracture is a strong concept title that lives and dies purely by its one innovative feature. However, that feature is unlike anything we’ve seen before, and can so radically alter the game space, it gives Fracture an extra life after its rather redundant shooting.
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