I am sure everyone is excited about the swinging, grappling, monstrosity ( I say monstrosity in the lightest and best way from the sprawling map), but I am trying to find the will to keep playing. Do not get me wrong it is hilarious grappling a jeep to a statue and watching the poor vehicle inhabitants learn a few things about physics, or grappling the 100th sniper so he falls to his cold hard death but it gets a little bit samey (Trust me it does).
There are a few problems with this game such as when you start out the map is BIG and I do not say big light heatedly, the map is so expansive that when you reach a milestone like 60km driven it actually FEELS like you have drive 60km, or nearer to 100km to the amount of time you spend just driving about. There are alternative means of transport, but I find grappling to peoples cars erratic as it normally;y causes them to crash, hilariously with me on the back if I am not quick enough to grapple off, or they just drive TOO SLOW. You receive the opportunity to also receive an extraction, but this is only to set places on your discovered areas, and the map the extraction provides is not the same map which contains your missions, meaning that you have to basically guess your drop point.
I also have a massive problem with the story as it is not very engaging, the characters are 1 dimensional, with either silly accents, or gimmicky props (Evidence pt. 1 Sheldon's continuous pork fetish). The story is like a snore inducing 007 story where they have tried to make twist and turns in the story but they have basically failed to even peak my interest one little bit. I feel that this generic story is not fitting for a modern game where stories have become so elaborate, and movie-like that I feel almost spoiled by recent titles such as Heavy Rain.
I must say there are good points, one of which is closely associated with one I have just whined about. The landscape.... it is gorgeous and just goes on forever, this is one of the reasons why the expansive map is probably there to show off the draw distances this game can crank out its like being in a plane at about 10,000 ft and thinking you can see half way across the world.
Dying, and destroying things in the most imaginative way, this is how games should be. Creating memories to share in which you either kill yourself in a way which would win you a Darwin Award, or destroy a building, a landmark, or a vehicle in a way only Mr. Bourne would know how to do. A great example of this was on a level where you were required to destroy some satellites before they reached orbit, I am rubbish at flying Jump Jets in this game so i got my better half to do it. He started firing at the infernal thing, and just couldn't get a clean shot (his aim is worse than my nan's without her glasses), so he decided to take a leaf out of the Japanese fighters books and end his life for the greater good, luckily before the £million jet collided with the few million pound satellite, he jumped out, and soared to the Earth before opening his chute like a true gentleman. It was so slick I thought I saw Rodrigo ( I have re-named the protagonist to something more fitting), light up a cigar at least 20,000feet and I was so proud, like a mother whose child has just performed her first piano solo at the Royal Albert Hall.
I wish I wasn't so critical about this game because if you want a wham-bam-thank you mam game, well this is it. It is a fun filled experience where you can basically create your own world one explosion at a time, the landscapes are lush and expansive, and I should really go back to it and spend more time just admiring the scenery, not trying to hurtle from A to B. The only gripe I do believe is that the story is weak, it reminds me of a game which is basically a one trick (grappling hook) pony, for some players this may not be enough as we have moved away from the days where games like bionic commando rule supreme.
Rating:
Gameplay: 4
Graphics: 7
Overall: 6
