Three races -- the native Kovos, the resource-parasite Ohm and the colonizing human Coalition -- battle for global domination. Choose a race, choose a planet's fate -- sounds interesting, right?
Looking at its cover, "WarPath" appears to be just another tried-and-tired sci-fi shooter, but the back-of-the-box story description teased me with tantalizing possibilities.
Chalk it up to the ol' bait and switch. I'm a story-driven gamer with a thirst for violence. I was led to believe I'd get both.
"WarPath" turns out to be nothing more than face value, the standard deathmatch/capture-the-flag/assault title only game modders could actually find a use for. It utilizes the Unreal engine -- and, yes, you can mod on the PC version -- but save yourself from the tedium and stick with the "Unreal Tournament."
It's not that "WarPath" is a bad game; it just doesn't offer anything that doesn't feel like a rehash of every other deathmatch shooter. The story really serves no driving purpose. Not that all games have to revolve around epic story lines, but then let's not pretend to be the "Debbie Does Dallas" of the genre.
The graphics look good on the Xbox (that's the old Xbox), but the levels are small and repetitive. The maps are mastered easily, making capture-the-flag missions simplistic in execution. There are some vehicles, but with small-scale terrain, it's hardly worth struggling with the controls.
Weapon upgrades are a nice feature, but unfortunately, the variety doesn't extend much beyond the standard knife, rifle, sniper, rocket and energy types -- none to really inspire fear in my enemies.
Perhaps innovative titles like "Prey" have spoiled me. Sure, deathmatches weren't "Prey's" main course, but what fantastic settings, strange weapons and great story line! Surely, a deathmatch can incorporate some of these elements. And why settle for aliens decked out in standard futuristic body armor. How about horror-genre deathmatches?
But enough of my wishing and back to the game at hand. "WarPath" feels like a hand-me-down title on a console in its last throes. The price might be a bargain, but it just doesn't live up to what I had hoped it would be.
Additional Information:
'WarPath'
Developer: Digital ExtremesPublisher: Groove Games
Platform: Xbox (also on PC)
Category: First-person shooter
ESRB: Teen
How good is it? D
