I've had a lot of fun with Guerrilla's destruction physics, but that's all I can really say in favour of the game.
The narrative is threadbare with no memorable characters - including the protagonist. There are no dramatic twists or turns in the story: "We have to stop the EDF!" is the character arc of pretty much everyone in the game.
The AI, most notably in friendly NPCs, is atrocious. Colonists throw themselves in front of passing vehicles and run into buildings you're in the process of demolishing. You're then penalised for their poor design with a "population demoralised" notification.
The combat is okay. Firefights aren't particularly enjoyable, but some of the unlockable weapons speed things up and help to minimise the amount of time spent trading shots with the EDF.
Guerrilla's driving holds some notoriety, but the mechanics when on-road aren't bad. The vehicles unfortunately aren't well-suited for the terrain of Mars, and so driving off-road is rarely a productive or fun experience. The surprising level of customisation available in weaponry isn't shared by the vehicles in this game, and so the player never feels any ownership. Making matters worse, there isn't much variety in vehicles. My best driving experiences usually involved stealing one of the EDF vehicles.
While the physics in this game are remarkably ahead of their time, they can't carry the game to a point of recommendation. Pick it up on sale and have some fun demolishing everything in sight, but don't make a full-price investment hoping for a satisfying, complete game.
The narrative is threadbare with no memorable characters - including the protagonist. There are no dramatic twists or turns in the story: "We have to stop the EDF!" is the character arc of pretty much everyone in the game.
The AI, most notably in friendly NPCs, is atrocious. Colonists throw themselves in front of passing vehicles and run into buildings you're in the process of demolishing. You're then penalised for their poor design with a "population demoralised" notification.
The combat is okay. Firefights aren't particularly enjoyable, but some of the unlockable weapons speed things up and help to minimise the amount of time spent trading shots with the EDF.
Guerrilla's driving holds some notoriety, but the mechanics when on-road aren't bad. The vehicles unfortunately aren't well-suited for the terrain of Mars, and so driving off-road is rarely a productive or fun experience. The surprising level of customisation available in weaponry isn't shared by the vehicles in this game, and so the player never feels any ownership. Making matters worse, there isn't much variety in vehicles. My best driving experiences usually involved stealing one of the EDF vehicles.
While the physics in this game are remarkably ahead of their time, they can't carry the game to a point of recommendation. Pick it up on sale and have some fun demolishing everything in sight, but don't make a full-price investment hoping for a satisfying, complete game.
