TOKYO – I know Quantum Theory sounds like an AP science class, but it is actually a video game. Specifically, it's Tecmo's take on Gears of War.
Indeed, at first glance it's an extremely similar take on Gears of War: The title character Syd is a burly man wearing heavy armor and carrying a gun larger than the average Rottweiler. What makes things different and oh-so-Japanese is the presence of his partner, a lithe female named Filena who carries a petite handgun but makes up for it by being magical. She also sports a sword for powerful close-quarters combat. Although capable of independent action, she can be summoned at will and thrown across the room like a javelin. The two characters also have a "combination attack" that is potentially quite devastating.
I say "potentially" because I never got a chance to use that move. Instead, Filena spent most of her time running away from me and engaging random foes or simply jogging in place, oblivious to the world. I had to pick her up and throw her to snap her out of it. The demo on display here at the Tokyo Game Show is single-player, but the press materials suggest co-op play will be available, online and off. Having a human partner would be much appreciated.
The enemy AI wasn't much better. The game is full of cover situations (like I said, Gears of War) but my foes were much more comfortable wandering the room looking for me. Sometimes they shot at me, sometimes they didn't. One enemy started backpedaling when I approached and backed himself right into a corner. He never fired a shot. Do the bad guys run out of ammo, or he was he simply unfamiliar with how guns work?
Everything about the demo felt wrong. I had to run through two entire rooms before I even needed to press a button at all. When I faced an enemy turret, I tried to take cover but it kept shooting straight at me. The staff told me to charge the turret directly in defiance of common sense, but it worked. Once I started using the turret against the remaining monsters, my character would grunt "I'm not hitting anything at all" if I fired more than a few shots off-target.
Worst of all was the way it ended. After killing our way through a few rooms, there was an extended loading screen. Suddenly we were in a room with a giant beast who held Filena firmly in its hands. In a cut scene, I shot the monster and it dropped her. Once I regained control, she immediately fell back into its clutches. I tried shooting at the monster but this time it killed her and that was that. "Thanks for playing!" was my cheerful sendoff, an odd sentiment to follow such an event.
I'm still keeping my eye on Quantum Theory for its promise of co-op play and its inviting premise, as outlined in the game's trailers. Why are Syd and Filena so intent on destroying these towers? How many more are out there? What causes them to change shape? The demo sidestepped all of these questions in favor of random violence. Let's hope the full game, due in 2010, doesn't do the same.
Image courtesy Tecmo
