14 DAY TRIAL // For those of you who don't know, the Watchmen series of comic books is one of the most critically acclaimed graphic novel series of all time. Telling a deep and intricate story about some masked heroes very different from the ones we are used to, the series has been carefully handled by DC Comics.
Now, as the movie based on the novels has already been launched, the game tie-in, which acts as a prequel to it has also appeared via digital download on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, courtesy of Steam. But seeing just how much attention their favorite series got, a lot of fans became worried that they would lose the essence of the story and just desecrate it like many other comic book stories.
In order to clear a lot of things up, I recently had the chance to play the game and I can now share my one hour spent with the next-generation beat-em up title that is Watchmen: The End Is Nigh. Is it worth your hard earned money or should you just be content with reading the comics or watching the movie and leave everything else to your imagination? Read on to find out.
13:00 Finally I get the chance to play this game, as I am a pretty big fan of the Watchmen series of graphic novels. I haven't seen the film yet, so this prequel game will be played just how it was intended to.
13:05 After a bit of fiddling with the settings, I start up the campaign and decide to play as the flawed anti-hero Rorschach. Even from the title screen you realize just how detailed this game is, as the developers at Deadline Games employed all of the latest technology including Nvidia's PhysX.
13:15 The brief comic book-like cut scenes offer all I need to know: we are before the Keene Act, when masked super heroes were still frowned upon but legal. You play as one of the dynamic duo of characters, Rorschach or Nite Owl. All is not well though, as the two hear a police distress signal – a power outage at the infamous Sing Sing prison has made a lot of prisoners violent and the guards can’t keep them contained.
13:25 The game looks very good, with the dark and gritty nighttime surroundings of the Sing Sing prison looking very lifelike. But no time for sightseeing as this is a beat-em up game, so the violent prisoners are soon all over the two heroes.
13:35 Each of the characters has different attributes. While Rorschach is more violent and can use weapons like batons, bottles or bats, Nite Owl employs more technological means to defeat his opponents.
13:40 Co-operative play has a big role in this game, as there are a lot of puzzles and maneuvers that need the two heroes to work together, like Nite Owl lifting a heavy iron gate in order for Rorschach to slide under and open it from the other side.
13:50 As expected, the power outage isn't just a fluke, but a carefully orchestrated move employed by one of New York City's most powerful criminals, the Underboss, which was only briefly mentioned in the graphic novel series.
14:00 The following cut scene introduces two more characters, all widely known to anyone familiar with the Watchmen universe, Dr. Manhattan and Silk Spectre, which talk the head of police into letting Rorschach and Nite Owl go so that they can track Underboss. The prison chapter is now complete; onwards to Rumrunner, a night bar used by a lot of criminals that can provide information.
All in all, although a bit repetitive sometimes, Watchmen: The End Is Nigh is a very interesting game. The characters are pretty well though out, each with different abilities, skills and attacks that prove very useful in fighting the almost endless hordes of criminals. Graphically it looks very good, with the comic book-like cut scenes bringing an homage to the original graphic novel series. Look forward to the full review next week.