[PS3/360] Quantum Theory Review

[AgtFox]

Quantum Theory Review

Title: Quantum Theory
Platform: PS3/360
Developer: Tecmo
Publisher: Tecmo Koei
ESRB: M
MSRP: $59.99 (PS3/360)
Editor: Loren 'AgtFox' Halek

What's Hot: The concept sounds cool with shapeshifting Arks and deadly Sci-Fi worms; umm…watching the enemies burst into slime as you deliver the death shot?

What's Not: Blatant Gears of War copying, but somehow screwing it up; boring shootouts w/loose aiming; AI is bad; graphics are okay; not sure what the title has anything to do with the game; why is there a 5.1GB install on the PS3 for something like this?

I don’t think I have ever played a game that copies from another as much as Gears…sorry, Quantum Theory does. There are other games out there that borrow gameplay mechanics from another game and make something special out of it like the Uncharted and Assassin’s Creed games do for instance to name two. However Tecmo Koei’s Quantum Theory literally copies Gears of War from a gameplay perspective, but they somehow screw up creating the same kind of atmosphere and tight overall gameplay. Instead, you’re left with a Gears of War game without good looks, a brain or that little something extra…something that sits along the lines of Haze, a game I was not very fond of.

You start the game with the main character, Syd, finishing off an Ark with a sidekick named Nyx. The Ark (basically a tower that can shapeshift, there are many of them on the world this game inhabits) is falling apart and Syd makes the observation that everyone but himself dies when an Ark falls. Nyx is the latest casualty of this problem, but Syd doesn’t seem to really care about her dying, just shrugging it off and continuing to the next Ark he can take down.

Along the way he meets an army who helps him get into the supposed impenetrable new Ark that has popped up in the last three years. Here is where you start seeing the heavy Gears of War influence in the game. You take cover behind walls and other obvious places, press the L1 key to aim, the R1 key to fire. The initial problem here is that the targeting isn’t very tight. I’m not going to say I’m an expert with targeting, but throughout the game no matter how I moved the sensitivity of the sliders, I never really had tight targeting control, so many of my shots were misses. Ammo is plentiful, but there are times you’d like to use a specific weapon and don’t have the ammo or waste it on missing your enemy. Although the general blueprint of Gears is here (shooting at enemies, cover, the run option, melee attacks, enemies blowing up and oozing all over, etc.) the glue that ties it all together is not present. The graphics are sub-par when compared to what the game is attempting to rip off and honestly to most games out there. I don’t remember there being any music of note and the sound is average at best with many of the guns sounding the same.

Eventually Syd will run into another character like Nyx named Felina, but I guess not of the same species. Once you hook up with her you can throw her at enemies and slice them up or stun them with the L2 button, something you learn about during your time with Nyx at the very beginning. Most of the game is spent getting to the top of this new Ark and destroying it. Syd of course is resigned to the fact that his new partner is going to die like everyone else has, but really it is up to you whether you want to undertake playing this game to find out whether that happens or not.

Enemies are mostly repetitive, kind of like the ones found in Terminator: Salvation, another game that just didn’t reach its full potential and felt too much like going from checkpoint to checkpoint just to get to the end. The AI is also very dumb, they’ll stick in the same area and never really move forward unless you advance towards them. Each enemy has a weak point, although I never really took the time to find them because I just wanted to kill and move on. Headshots are the usual weak point, but it is obvious there are enemies with different weak points. There is also a multiplayer section to the game, but considering how excited I was about the game I didn’t pick it up. I know you can play with up to 8 players online and the general multiplayer match types are there.

It is too bad that Quantum Theory turned out as it did. I think there is potential here with the story (although the dialogue is horrendous), it just was never realized in gameplay form. I can’t recommend this game at $60 and I’m not even sure I can as a bargain bin pickup. A rental might be a good idea just to see how a bad Gears of War clone is made and realize that Epic may be something special as a developer.

Score: 1 out of 5 CoGs


Loren says, “A blatant Gears of War rip-off, Quantum Theory just never comes close to reaching the height of those games. It’s like they forgot that something extra as they were building the game. A rental at best, this is a game that most can forget and join in the ranks of Haze and Terminator: Salvation in the trash.”

*Note - Review based upon the PS3 version of game

[menage]

I actually enjoyed the demo for how ripoffery it was. But I don't like these kinds of games at all.

[bapenguin]

Yeah...this game is pretty much the worst one I played this year.

[Gorvi]

Originally Posted by menage

I actually enjoyed the demo for how ripoffery it was. But I don't like these kinds of games at all.

You enjoyed that? Man, that has to be one of the worst demos I've played in a long, long time. Just a bad game in damn near every single area. I don't think I've played a demo that bad since Hail To The Chimp........

[menage]

Originally Posted by Gorvi

You enjoyed that? Man, that has to be one of the worst demos I've played in a long, long time. Just a bad game in damn near every single area. I don't think I've played a demo that bad since Hail To The Chimp........

That's the reason, just funny. I will never buy the game that's for sure

[ElektroDragon]

Loren, you have impeccable taste! A deserved 1/5 to the Gears of War copycat Quantum Theory, and almost full stars for Alan Wake DLC. Keep up the honest reviewing!!

[ElektroDragon]

Poor Tecmo... they're off to a very bad start after Itakagi left. No sign of DOA5 or Ninja Gaiden III, so if they're betting the farm on THIS.... well, they're toast.

[Mike Kelehan]

Originally Posted by ElektroDragon

Poor Tecmo... they're off to a very bad start after Itakagi left. No sign of DOA5 or Ninja Gaiden III, so if they're betting the farm on THIS.... well, they're toast.

Ninja Gaiden 3 was announced at TGS, and I think DOA5 is definitely going to happen.

[muddi900]

Why this, and not Vanquish? I am really contemplating getting a new 360 just for that game.

[AgtFox]

Originally Posted by muddi900

Why this, and not Vanquish? I am really contemplating getting a new 360 just for that game.

Are you asking why this was reviewed? I was provided a copy and I don't let provided copies go unreviewed. Not sure why they sent one though, it's been getting panned all over the place (I looked after writing my review).

I personally don't plan on picking up Vanquish, I was not excited by the demo. I'll try playing the demo again.

[Mike Kelehan]

Originally Posted by AgtFox

I personally don't plan on picking up Vanquish, I was not excited by the demo. I'll try playing the demo again.

I wasn't excited by the demo of Bayonetta, but that ended up being my favorite 360 game of the past year. Maybe Platinum just sucks at demos.

[Gorvi]

I thought the Vanquish demo was pretty good. I'm pretty sure they're putting out a second demo, though when I have no idea.

[menage]

It's already on the Japanese store. Played it, but was an arena so not much.

[Gorvi]

Originally Posted by menage

It's already on the Japanese store. Played it, but was an arena so not much.

Ahh, ok. The only problem I had with the first demo was getting used to the controls, otherwise it was fun.