Quantum Theory

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List Price: $19.99
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The four star rating is for a purchase of thirty dollars or less. This game is not a full price purchase.

First things first, as I said above if you can find this game for thirty dollars or less and are a fan of Gears of War you will enjoy Quantum Theory. Yes this game borrows many elements from Gears, which is no big secret however as the saying states, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. You shouldn't play this game for what it's not (i.e. Gears of War) but more for what it is, which is a pretty decent third person duck and cover action title. Being a fan of Gears myself, I find Quantum Theory to be some what of a love letter to Gears and that's ok with me because if you're going to make a game in that genre why not look to the top dog for inspiration. It's as if trying to compare an NFL team with a college team, sure they're both playing the same game and using the same equipment but obviously the pros will win out in the long run.

Quantum Theory is by no means a great game; it does have its short comings. The controls are a little off but manageable, the camera can be some what hectic at times and the graphics are mediocre at best. The story has an interesting start but never really develops into anything special; obviously they won't be winning any awards for best screen play anytime soon. In all fairness though I didn't really expect a great story with this game, nor was it the reason I bought it. You will hear a lot of cheesy 80's action movie cliché lines like "splat" after Syd kills something, which makes Syd seem like his body aged but his mind is still in middle school. Finally the AI, your companions are horrible at best, not too helpful. Try watching them; it looks as if they're square dancing on the battle field. The enemy AI isn't that bad, they will actually come and get you if you hide too long, which always makes you feel a sense of urgency and keeps you on your toes.

Now for some good news, which there is some believe it or not? The duck and cover aspect works well, with some minor flaws. The story being that you're moving along in a living tower makes for interesting landscapes and fun times when the barrier you're covering behind just disappears. I personally enjoy the fact that you can carry up to three weapons at a time and can cycle through them rather easily. Honestly once you find the two or three guns you like to use you'll probably stick with them through out the game, that's pretty much what I did. Also, when you pick up ammo packs you'll replenish ammo for all the weapons you're carrying, so you don't have to look for specific ammo types when you find and equip your weapons of choice. The lack of grenades is noticeable but having Filena to throw at enemies makes up for it, but truthfully if she's not being thrown she's not much help and the novelty of doing so does wear thin quickly. Sorry for that last line I know it sounds sexiest if read out of context LOL. I found myself taking out enemies with my weapons and using her only if absolutely necessary.

I'm not saying this game can compare to Gears but honestly few can, but for the right price it's worth picking up, especially to hold us over why we wait for Gears 3. If for what ever reason you haven't played Gears or not able to try Quantum Theory you may be pleasantly surprised.

Michael

PSN Xbox Live gamertags are MikeJMele

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Maybe I'm easily entertained, maybe I'm glutton for punishment, but I was strangely drawn to this game and found it quite enjoyable much like another supposedly 'bad' game that I like ShellShock 2. I have not played the game that is mentioned in every other review of Quantum Theory and that is Gears of War. However, after laying Quantum Theory, I went out and bought Gears of War triple pack and hope to play it in the near future.

Quantum Theory plays like a conglomeration of the old and new. Having not played GOW, elements of the game reminde me of a diverse set of games anywhere from Uncharted to Doom. Uncharted due to the often imitated cover mechanics (but lacking the sophisticated exploration mechanics) and Doom because of the demon type enemies that can take a licking before dying, as well as the pattern based AI in the larger enemies.

The beginning of the game introduces you to your future partner Filena and your combo attack with her that is one of the the most powerful attacks in the game. After this glimpse of the future you are thrown into a militia squad in a post apocalyptic earth on your way to forcibly enter and destroy a tower that is responsible for the mutation of people into evil monsters.

The story of Quantum Theory is both simplistic and confusing at the same time. It's not bad, and there is a lot of lore of the world to uncover, it is just explained in a very indirect and disjunct manner. The game goes back and forth in time in several instances in an effort try to explain the characters but it can be jarring. Also, your companion, Filena seems to come and go at times and it is not always well explained why she is with you in some parts and not with you at other times.

The controls in the game are often criticized. I did not have too much issue with them for most of the game. I had to adjust the speed of the aiming and the camera a few times during boss fights to be able to keep up with the movements of the bosses. Also, with some of the guns there is not much feedback when shooting enemies. The gun controls only really became frustrating on the second to last boss when they seemed to slow down and speed up seemingly at will. Later in the game melee combat becomes very important due to the enemies requiring a lot of bullets to take down. There are several special attacks that utilize your partner. These include the ability to throw Filena in a high damage attack, throw her in the air to stun your enemies, or combo melee attacks which require precisely timed button presses.

There are several parts of the game that require timed jumps onto and off of giant worm creatures. These can be frustrating, although I'm glad they are there. These portions provide a strong sense of atmosphere to the game that would otherwise be paint by numbers. Just be prepared to have to consult youtube or gamefaqs to get you through one or two of these parts. The other thing that stands out in Quantum Theory is the living tower aspect where the environment changes in the middle of firefights. This provided for me a significant aspect to how I would approach some of the more difficult firefights and is a huge part of my enjoyment of the game.

The graphics are behind the times for the characters but the environments are interesting and detailed in the tower sections. They certainly provide a unique vibe of heaven meets hell.

I played through the single player part of the game on normal and there were definitely some difficult sections in the second half of the game. Frustrating at points, but a sense of challenge brings with it a sense of accomplishment. It probably provided me with a good 12-15 hours of gameplay which is quite good for a game of this type.

I enjoyed playing Quantum Theory. I may try some multiplayer if I can find people online, otherwise I look forward to trying Gears of War for a comparison.

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I love this game. the concept is very different in my opinion, which is what i liked about it the most.

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I beat this game today and had a great time! I think my dad will really enjoy it too when he plays it. The whole game probably took around 15 hours, and it didn't feel too short or too long.

My absolute favorite part was the ambience. The environments are gorgeous and colorful, and range from starkly beautiful to distorted and hellish. Throughout the whole tower there's a wealth of color themes, architectural styles, room layouts and such, but it still feels very cohesive. I thought the "constantly changing" aspect of the level design would be lame or ugly or badly executed or something, but instead it transformed spaces in totally bizarre ways and made fights twistedly chaotic.

The gameplay itself is pretty fun. I'm not much for the whole sit-behind-cover-and-shoot-other-guys-behind-cover thing, but there's a lot of weapons and you're afforded a lot of playstyle flexibility. For example, there's a gun that gives your melee attack extra strength and better coverage use it and you can even take the brawler approach (I did, for a stage or two). The combo attack girl, who travels with you for about half the game, gives you a couple extra moves (melee and ranged) which, if used appropriately, are very effective. The controls are also well thought out and the character control is simple and fluid.

I know a lot of reviews complained about the platforming/climbing. There are only one or two areas in the game that I really had problems with, and I think I could do them better now. During these sequences, a "press jump" icon will appear. The icon does not mean that you should press jump, it means that you /can/ press jump. You still have to orient yourself correctly and make sure there's something to jump to. Leaps of faith do not go rewarded!

To be thorough, the story was very good too. I don't know if the dialog was excellent, but it was interesting and sometimes even darkly humorous, and the voice acting was quite suitable. The game is mostly an adventure, so there isn't much plot, but the conclusion is excellent and I thought it was very amusing. I can't get the imagery from the end out of my head.

Quantum Theory wasn't perfect, but it was outstanding in so many ways that I think it was definitely worth the preorder price. I know I'll recommend it to my friends and I look forward to more games from Team Tachyon (if they aren't dissolved first).

(I haven't played Gears of War, but please remember: even if Gears of War is better, that does not make Quantum Theory worse.)

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This game is way too hard. Man, is it hard! I even set the difficulty to easy, but it is still pretty hard. In one battle, it took me an hour+ to beat. The enemies spawn like crazy. They also take forever to take out in the first place. Many of the other battles have to be replayed again and again. There a lot of cheap deaths, like when the floor gives way with no notice.

Graphics and sound were pretty good, and the sci-fi weapons are cool. The artwork for the monsters is pretty cool. The game can be played. The shooting is hard because the reticule is small and enemies always dodge. When you do hit a target, the enemy staggers, so your next few shots miss. The AI is decent enough to make you pay if you're not careful.

I'd say this game scores 3.4 out of 5, rounded up because of others who did not try hard enough.

Quantum Theory is a rough game, and you will die often. It is satisfying when you eventually win, you just have to stick with it.