Constantine

Well well… Yet another game based on a movie franchise. We all remember the times when that was synonymous with crappy gameplay by default. Luckily things seem to have changed in recent years and we can easily pull out examples of movie licenses that have been put to good use. Spiderman 2 for instance surprised everyone with its solid and entertaining gameplay, and who can forget Vin Diesel in last year’s brilliant Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay?

So our assumption is that a game starring Keanu Reeves can’t possibly be a disappointment. The fact that you control Keanu Reeves in Constantine – the game that is – isn’t obvious all the time, so you have to settle with Keanu’s voice, which he has kindly lent to the game.

And who exactly is John Constantine?

The movie is based on the comic HellBlazer, and if you aren’t familiar with this universe some things in the game might strike you as a bid odd. For instance, the game doesn’t waste time trying to explain how the protagonist can travel between our world and hell as you start out taking a quick trip to the underworld through a puddle of water.

The uninitiated might be put off by the lack of background story, but suffice it to say that John Constantine has been playing a bit too much with the occult and this has led to the death of his father. There’s also something about blackmailing both God and The Devil – in short, the man has some… ‘issues’.

The beaten path

In the game, your job is to stop an attack on the innocent souls on earth from the demons of Hell. You control John from a third-person perspective from which you also bear witness to some pretty sloppy animation. When John moves around, his steps seem to float on the surface giving him a moonwalking quality that would make Michael Jackson jealous.

You don’t have to worry about getting lost in the game, since that’s not a possibility at all. You’ll follow a predetermined route most of the time. John can also only jump at specific places where he’s required to do so to move on. It’s basically as linear as it gets.

Excitement please

Among the things thrown in to create some tension is John’s ability to see in the dark. The effect is the same as when you see a negative of an image i.e. the colours are reversed. If that’s the developers’ idea of creepiness they’ve watched too few horror flicks.

John is also able to cast spells, though they are not necessary to get through the game. Furthermore, you can only cast spells when enemies are near, so when your spell button becomes active you know there’s trouble ahead. It sort of spoils the surprise element and lurking horror that should be key ingredients in a game of this type.

Then there are the bonus cards you can pick up at various places in the game to unlock concept art, developer interviews etc. The idea was probably to increase the longevity of the game, but the cards are very easy to find, making the thrill of discovering them practically non-existent.

Movies are made for the cinema

Constantine the game is supposed to be in the horror genre just like the movie, but it simply fails to scare even just a little bit.

It feels as if the game had to get ready before the movie premiered regardless of the polish it might need. The game isn’t particularly flawed but it only provides a forgettable and mediocre experience. In short, it’s a sub-standard shooter and there are better alternatives out there.

You’re probably better off just going to the cinema and watch the movie instead.


Source: Boomtown DK
English version by: Julian Henlov (Progrock)