BODYCOUNT (X360)
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Publisher: Codemasters.
Developer: Guildford Studio. Released: September 2011. Genre: FPS. Other versions: PS3. Posted 24th November 2012. By Shane Battams © 2012 |
It’s kind of funny – there are so many shooters now that one has to be something truly special to grab people’s attention, or conversely completely terrible to garner any kind of interest. Bodycount falls into an awkward limbo somewhere between these two parallels. However, it’s not so bad that you could buy it simply for cheap laughs. The game is just straight-up bland: it will literally bore you to sleep before actually entertaining you.
Believe it or not, Bodycount has some kind of premise behind its mind-numbing boredom. You take the role of a member of The Network, an organization that seems to believe that they can change the world by going to countries and killing gazillions of people. You’re immediately sent into Africa where two groups are in conflict. You first try to resolve the situation: however a much bigger issue arises regarding a shady group who have secretly established a high-tech base in a less-developed country. It all goes downhill from there, as the story is only conveyed through a handful of cut-scenes throughout the game. Why you’re taken from Africa to Asia and into the deep bases of this corporation, I never really understood. Bodycount then throws a female antagonist your way, but fails miserably to create any tension.
None of this is helping the "FPSs are a bit brown" argument
Bodycount has possibly one thing going for it – the level design is quite spacious and open. However, it still forces you through linear objectives. Each level contains waypoints, which you must follow and kill anyone between you and that point. The game also throws no kind of curveballs in your way as you travel through each mission, as there aren’t even any collectibles to act as a distraction. The game’s design can also cause some frustration, as a shoddy checkpoint system means you’lll spawn exactly when the game saves. So even if you’re being shot to death, if the game saves there, that’s where you’ll load again. It’s immensely aggravating, especially on higher difficulties.
Bodycount’s trademark is its skill count system. This means that killing with some kind of trick will increase a multiplier. Its very bare-bones in terms of what earns higher multipliers though: earning headshots, killing with explosives and shooting enemies while they’re facing away are some of the few boring ways to increase your skill count. The sad thing is that really, this mechanic has almost no impact on core gameplay. The only thing getting a higher multiplier achieves is earning better ‘intel’, which replenishes abilities. You are also ranked on each level by how high you get your skill count, going from E to A. But there’s no real reward to this, no unlockables and no achievements. The game seems to encourage arcade-style shooting, yet its objectives feel like a more story-driven game. It’s stuck somewhere in between these two styles, and feels rather empty.
Bodycount’s trademark is its skill count system. This means that killing with some kind of trick will increase a multiplier. Its very bare-bones in terms of what earns higher multipliers though: earning headshots, killing with explosives and shooting enemies while they’re facing away are some of the few boring ways to increase your skill count. The sad thing is that really, this mechanic has almost no impact on core gameplay. The only thing getting a higher multiplier achieves is earning better ‘intel’, which replenishes abilities. You are also ranked on each level by how high you get your skill count, going from E to A. But there’s no real reward to this, no unlockables and no achievements. The game seems to encourage arcade-style shooting, yet its objectives feel like a more story-driven game. It’s stuck somewhere in between these two styles, and feels rather empty.
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The lack of imagination is worsened by its poor selection of weaponry. The game has only a dozen or so guns, most of which are locked until further progression in the game, and you merely get different varieties of pistols, shotguns and assault rifles. Most of the weapons are bog-standard, though there’s a couple of laser-cannon style weapons which are pretty fun to use, but are locked until much later in the game. The game also tries to vary the combat by throwing in abilities. There are 4 altogether; Adrenaline makes you invincible, EMPs disable certain enemies, airstrikes, and increased weapon damage. These abilities are governed by ‘Intel’, dropped by enemies when you kill them. The abilities add some interest to the game, but it’s not enough.
The game also represents awful value for money. The campaign, despite frustrations, can be blown through in not even six hours, and there’s no reason to play through again. Bodycount also packs a multiplayer mode, containing three simplistic modes. You have the standard deathmatch/team deathmatch and a co-op mode where, akin to the numerous Horde rip-offs, you fight wave after waves of enemies until you finish at Wave 20. Even if you weren’t turned off by the game already, diving into the multiplayer modes is pretty much impossible as there’s absolutely no one playing Bodycount online. I couldn’t test connection or anything like that, because when I searched for lobbies I couldn’t find a single game. It’s a shame that you must have 2 players to start any mode, as there could have been possible fun in trying Siege Mode by yourself.
The game also represents awful value for money. The campaign, despite frustrations, can be blown through in not even six hours, and there’s no reason to play through again. Bodycount also packs a multiplayer mode, containing three simplistic modes. You have the standard deathmatch/team deathmatch and a co-op mode where, akin to the numerous Horde rip-offs, you fight wave after waves of enemies until you finish at Wave 20. Even if you weren’t turned off by the game already, diving into the multiplayer modes is pretty much impossible as there’s absolutely no one playing Bodycount online. I couldn’t test connection or anything like that, because when I searched for lobbies I couldn’t find a single game. It’s a shame that you must have 2 players to start any mode, as there could have been possible fun in trying Siege Mode by yourself.
When we said we wanted Bodycount to be 'iconic', this wasn't quite what we had in mind...
Bodycount looks appalling, with bland colours polluting each level. The textures look rough, and the lighting exacerbates this noticeable ugliness. Enemies move stiffly and are dogged by repetitious design, with four or so different kinds of model in each level. Cut-scenes disappoint too, with poor quality picture and god-awful lip synching in the few spots of dialogue. The sound is pretty rough too, with weak gunfire making the weapons even duller. The music is completely generic and extremely repetitive – one song was looped throughout most of the campaign, with little variation in between. The game’s presentation makes Bodycount feel rushed and chopped, as if it was shoved with a low-grade engine made for a previous-generation console.
Bodycount is bad. Yet somehow, it’s not a complete disaster. There’s nothing particularly disturbing about the game, bar maybe its god-awful presentation, yet nothing it does makes it feel exciting. The game’s structure can’t decide if it wants to encourage arcade style shooting, or a more story-driven experience, and it feels like it amounts to nothing. It’s coupled with bland guns which come in little amounts and poor value for money. Unless you’re severely desperate, and considering how many shooters there are on the market you shouldn’t be, Bodycount is well left at the very bottom of the bargain bin, because there's no kind of interest pulsing from of the veins of this game.
Bodycount is bad. Yet somehow, it’s not a complete disaster. There’s nothing particularly disturbing about the game, bar maybe its god-awful presentation, yet nothing it does makes it feel exciting. The game’s structure can’t decide if it wants to encourage arcade style shooting, or a more story-driven experience, and it feels like it amounts to nothing. It’s coupled with bland guns which come in little amounts and poor value for money. Unless you’re severely desperate, and considering how many shooters there are on the market you shouldn’t be, Bodycount is well left at the very bottom of the bargain bin, because there's no kind of interest pulsing from of the veins of this game.
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VERDICT
Visual: 2/10
Audio: 2/10 Gameplay: 4/10 Longevity: 4/10 OVERALL: 4/10 |
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