Sabre Interactive, the developer behind the clever shooter TimeShift, has teamed up with Konami along with Sony and Relativity Media to develop the video game tie-in with their new film, Battle: Los Angeles (or Battle: LA). The game is available on the PlayStation Network, Xbox LIVE Arcade, and Steam platform on Windows PCs. Having recently seen the film and enjoying its action sequences (not so much the corny civilians and dialog, but I digress…), I was primed and ready to fend off the advance alien invaders as one of SSgt. Nantz’s squad members.
The gameplay is your standard shooter fare, similar to games like Combat Arms or Breach, minus that game’s cool cover system. Unfortunately, the game does suffer from some control issues. The worst being that the player character jumps like what seems to be a real-world equivalent of three inches off the ground when the space bar is pressed and overall movement is a bit stiff.
Also, if the game were accurate, US Marines would only be able to run for about fifteen feet before being winded for five to ten seconds. Meanwhile, your AI-driven squadmates seem to go forever, often times leaving you playing catch up. Also of concern is that none of the marines seem to be carrying a standard issue sidearm or fighting knife. The game features three weapons – an assault rifle, a rocket launcher, and a sniper rifle.
Levels are taken from many of the film’s action sequences and, to Sabre’s credit, look the part. The biggest flaw in the level design is the uber-linear layout to the debris laid about. It is very clear where the game developers intended you to move – to a fault, actually.
Visually, Battle: Los Angeles is pleasing enough to look at. The game features a number of graphical optimizations that your gaming PC will gladly take advantage of. On the console versions, however, the game is a less-attractive affair. In-game audio is well done also, with the sounds of full-scale war permeating the environment around you. Battle: Los Angeles features numerous graphic novel-esque storyboard sequences which act to setup the next level. For the sake of the game’s very short playtime, the plot of the story is altered slightly to accommodate.
Unfortunately, the game spans about 45 minutes of game time and, even with a few unlockable modes, just is not worth the $9.99. What the game DOES show off, sometimes, is how cool a full Battle: Los Angeles game COULD have been. Combine the alien-fighting action with a tactical control system a la Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 or Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter and you would have a real winner on your hands. While not a horrible game by any means, the game would be far more worth a purchase at a $4.99 price point.
Hopefully, with the nice box office draw the movie has been, we will see a true Battle: Los Angeles wargame in the near future… Hopefully.
