Fracture Preview

E3 2008 Preview

Last time on Fracture: the world was in chaos. Terrain was being deformed. Unique gameplay ideas were shown. And we weren't allowed to touch the controller. Fast forward one year and it's the same thing all over again, with one minor difference: now we get to see if the game has any chance of living up to its insurmountable hype.

The game stars...no, forget that. Do any of us really care about the story at this point? I might in October when the game is released. For now let's stick to the gameplay, which is amazingly well done. As previously reported, you can raise, lower, implode and manipulate the environment to tackle the game's most difficult challenges. But what that hands-off report didn't tell you was how well it performs. In the first five seconds, Fracture is a third-person shooter. The same old thing but with above-average graphics. In the first 10 seconds you're running around, moving the camera and firing weapons. And by the end of the first minute you've created your first wall by raising the terrain 10 or 20 feet into the air. That last part is the magic moment when Fracture is no longer "that shooter with terraforming." It should now be known as the shooter that broke new ground in more ways than one.

There are several terrain deformation elements in the game, but only two were instantly usable: the ability to raise and lower. If this were merely a side feature, it wouldn't have much of a purpose. But this is an essential part of Fracture. That fact becomes apparent the second you start getting your butt kicked. How do you dodge gunfire when there's nowhere to run? How do you take cover when there's nothing to hide behind? By raising the terrain -- a move that's performed very easily by aiming at the ground and tapping RB -- the enemy's aim will be blocked. He can shoot the terrain and slowly shrink it back down, but that will buy you some time.

If you want to get really creative, raise the terrain directly underneath the enemy. The force of the ground moving up will push him several feet into the air, triggering the game's realistic ragdoll physics while stunning an enemy that had become a major nuisance.

Those are some of the fun ways you can deal with an enemy, but they barely scratch the surface of the capabilities of terrain deformation. After coming to an underground area that was blocked by the natural environment, I was able to jump down in and continue progressing through the game just by lowering the terrain. When a platform was too high to reach by normal means, a third deformation technique became available, allowing players to raise a pillar of terrain up into the air. This pillar rose up and pushed a piece of a building on its side, which was now angled low enough to jump on and climb.

The gunplay isn't terribly unexpected. However, the developers have done a stellar job of raising the excitement level along with the terrain. Though you aren't always surrounded by enemies, this isn't a game of frequent breathers. Fracture isn't just an action game either, it's one with the potential to deliver great thrills. The E3 demo already has, making the October release date seem too far away.
 

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