AceGamez: " When it first emerged in 1982, LucasArts was at the forefront of edgy, fresh gaming with examples of fantastic storytelling, puzzle solving, action and combat. The Monkey Island series showed us that great writing and characterisation can add real depth to a game; Sam & Max taught us to laugh at ourselves when playing and the X-Wing flight simulation games served as the first time we could experience the best thrill you can have in the Star Wars universe without getting your lightsaber out (careful, that sort of thing can get you arrested nowadays). Such games are highly regarded even today but unfortunately it seems that the publisher has developed some bad habits - and Fracture, their latest title, falls significantly short of greatness.
Set in a bleak future two hundred years from now, rising sea levels have forced the U.S. to develop technology to raise their borders in order to protect themselves from catastrophic flooding. However, this devastates the mid-West and creates a rift between the conservative Eastern and radical Western states. The latter widen the gap by actively pursuing genetic modification and enhancement, producing a new subset of humanity, while the civilised Atlantic Alliance favours advancement through technological feats. War is inevitably declared and it's up to you, Jet Brody (really, who thinks up these names?) to uncover the new Western nation's diabolical separatist plot and put a stop to it with your skills as a one man army, launching you into the world of Fracture.
So far everything sounds pretty bland and in terms of storytelling, nothing really improves. There really isn't any excuse for character design to be this sloppy after we've seen what is possible from games such as BioShock and Mass Effect. Every line out of Brody's mouth is a tired one-liner and the dialogue with the main villains and supporting characters is just as disappointing. While it doesn't make much of a difference during the action, having to cringe my way through the intro cinematics wasn't a great start."
