Pariah review

It's a difficult business, releasing a first-person shooter on Xbox. After all, this is the console which received Halo, a game that showed us all that an FPS on console could really work. Since then we've had a Halo sequel, numerous WWII/Vietnam based shooters. Add to that Doom 3 and perhaps the Xbox's finest graphical experience, The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay.

So to really impress, to really stand out amongst this crowd of great shooters, a first-person shooter, especially a sci-fi shooter, really needs to be something special. Unfortunately Pariah, despite the pre-release hype, doesn't quite have what it takes. That's not to say it isn't a good game, but it's not exceptional.

Crash, bang, wallop

Digital Extremes Pariah begins with the player taking on the role of Doctor Jack Mason; he's been given the role of transporting a virus ridden woman called Karina. But nothing in life is simple, and the ship carrying Mason and the cryogenically frozen Karina crash lands.

It's here that the first problems arise, that of believability. To take part in a sci-fi plot the player has to feel involved, that incredulity isn't being stretched to breaking point. But following the crash, the mysterious Karina is unleashed from her safe storage, Mason is infected, and must then set out to recover the plague bearing woman.

Right away we're led to believe that Mason is some kind of super-soldier. He's just been infected with the deadliest disease known to man, yet is capable of not only handling advanced weaponry he finds, but is capable of beating the trained soldiers that quickly move to the crash site.

Physician heal thyself

There's a very me-too feel to the gameplay, especially where the administration of health is concerned. The health system is very similar to Halo, where units of health will recharge if not depleted too far. There is an original change in that Mason has to administer revitalising drugs to himself using a medical tool. Yet this system, while original, becomes cumbersome and annoying with time.

Mason has to swap the gun he's holding for the medical tool, and just like Doom 3's annoying torch or gun option, this can lead to problems in the thick of action. It's annoying to be killed when there are health packs on hand, just because you need to switch from the gun to the medical tool to administer the game's version of a health potion.

Level playing field

The game initially appears quite pretty, but not exceptional. The cuts-scenes appear rough around the edges, which is never a good way to start a game. Onto the first level and there are moments that make you think, this is quite good looking. But it's never anything really special, we've seen this kind of thing before on numerous Unreal-engine games.

The level design is uninspiring. Open areas with choke points, the ubiquitous metal walkways and corridors - we've seen this all before. It's the same feeling with the actual gameplay. While the locals may change, there's little variety between the gameplay of kill all the enemies in an area, find the switch that opens the door, move to the next area. Yes the switches vary, yes the enemies and scenery vary, but it all feels the same.

There are some on-rails sections and some driving sequences, but these do little to enliven a game that is trying too hard to copy Halo. Some of the things lifted from Halo are welcome - such as the save system. But if you are going to copy a million selling game on a console, it's best to do things better or you'll get lost among the myriad similar games.

Sharp sticks

One area of the game that is pleasing is the selection of weaponry on offer. Even the first gun that Mason acquires is a meaty and powerful weapon, or at least if feels so, despite requiring quite a few shots to bring down the enemy. It's also surprising that some more powerful weaponry is received so early in the game.

In the first level, the player will find the grenade launcher. It's a really fun weapon, capable of dealing out jagged explosive death to a whole crowd of enemy troops. Almost immediately in Pariah you are able to kill swathes of bad guys with powerful weaponry. Fun though this is though, it does unbalance the game somewhat, this proves the worth in games that make us weight for such an arsenal, annoying though it sometimes may be.

Weapon upgrades work well, with weapon energy core tokens found across the levels being used to enhance the standard guns. Each weapon can be upgraded three times and the upgrades do make a difference. For example, the sniper rifle receives armour-piercing ammunition, enhanced vision system and an increased clip size.

Passing muster

So what we have in Pariah is a relatively pretty, mildly diverting shooter. It's not the amazing game that we imagined it might be - it certainly doesn't live up to the early artwork. Dull enemy AI, samey gameplay and run-of-the-mill multiplayer options leave one feeling that this game could have been so much more.

It's by no means a bad game, not at all. Those of you that love a sci-fi shooter may actually really enjoy playing it. As I said though, it tries too hard to be Halo rather than finding its own niche in the market and comes across as a game that doesn't try hard enough. There are moments of enjoyment, but not enough to recommend this to the average game. In the word's of the legendary Roy Walker, "It's good, but it's not right."