Title: NeverDead Format: PS3,360
Release Date: Jan 31, 2012
Publisher: Konami
Developer: Rebellion
Price: $59.99 ESRB Rating:M
After putting too many hours into FF XIII-2, I wanted to give NeverDead a try. And after a few hours of playing through it, I found myself wanting to play other games. NeverDead is a terrible game, it just isn't a very good one. After reading IGN's review, I don't necessarily agree with a 3.0 out of 10.
Presentation/Story:
From the opening of the game, I knew that NeverDead was going to be something different. The story is a great reason for me saying that. Its pretty weird and even bizarre. You play as Bryce Boltzmann, he's your typical anti-hero. There is literally no back story about him and frankly, its not that big a deal. I do know that his wife was killed in a fight against a demon king named Astaroth. Bryce's partner, Arcadia Maximille, a mortal agent, is an overall one dimensional character. The story overall is pretty executed pretty poorly. The game looks pretty average at times, with the focus on the cool dismemberment aspects of the game. The cutscenes are pretty lackluster at times and are pretty boring. The music doesn't fall far from the tree as well, pretty forgettable mix of killing tunes. Overall, the Presentation in the game is the worst component of the game.
Core Gameplay/Multiplayer:
NeverDead is a typical third-person shooter at heart with some cool mechanics sprinkled in throughout your playthrough. There are no cover elements in the game which makes each enemy encounter feel predictable. You have an arsenal of standard guns--pistols, automatics. You also have your trusty greatsword. Which deals most of the dismemberment effects the game is pushing so hard. You can switch between dual-wielding gunplay and your sword, I found myself using the sword most of the times though. You control your sword with the right analog sticks, which is solid, but the constant camera spikes make it problematic most of the time.
As you've probably guessed by the title, Bryce cannot die. You won't see the game over screen too many times during the campaign, unless you have completely walked away from the game while it was still running. You will get hit a lot during the game, and when you do limbs will fall off and you have to recover them. Most times you will just be a head and have to get your body back piece by piece. Throwing Bryce's head to solve puzzles are pretty cool but get old really quick. The multiplayer is lacking originality with some pretty lame modes including a predictable horde style mode.
Final Thoughts: NeverDead has a lot of missed ambition, it has potential for a sequel since the ending never answered my many questions. It sways between being cool to being frustrating. With many other high quality games being released, I can't recommend picking this up.
Final Score = 5/10
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