Because inverting your controls just isn't enough anymore

There's a lot of broo-ha-ha about game design these days, especially in the shooter genre. The old guard will tell you everything is too linear and controlled now, and not as 'open' as the games of old, and they're probably right to an extent. Still, if you can't compromise on the structure of your level design, then the least you can do is try to hide it better which is where Inversion comes in.
 

The mind, it boggles

This is a brand new IP coming from Namco Bandai, and is being made by Saber Interactive, the guys who brought you TimeShift and who happen to be working with 343 on Halo Anniversary. This game is a bit of a cross between Red Faction: Armageddon, and Gears of War... with maybe a little smidgen of Bulletstorm. But that's just our analysis - to be honest, every game is like another these days. The point is however that, from the gameplay we've seen so far, this is another very linear third-person game - Only in three dimensions. Inversion's 'hook' is that the bad guys like to manipulate gravity. Very early on in the game, you get a hold of one of these devices, and the fun begins.

One minute you're charging an enemy position, only to realise there's another group of guys hiding by some rubble on the side of the wall. Those of you with a poor sense of dimensions or perception, or whatever governs the '3D' ness of the your brain might initially find it hard to wrap your head around it, but as we have already alluded too, it's far more simpler than you think. Think of a straight path, with no deviation, but instead of going along a flat plain, it curves around a cylinder – that's in essence how all the dimensions are worked into this game. You find yourself on the floor, then the wall, then the ceiling, and back around again, but you only ever fight your way along a linear path.
 

Yeah, you're shooting some guys standing on the ceiling. And?

Please bear in mind, this impression is only based off what limited gameplay footage has been shown to us. We're not saying that the game is deceiving anybody, or that it's less than what it promises (well, all games are like that to a small extent – thank you marketing) – but the gravity and mind bending elements of this game are not to be feared, but shouldn't necessarily be lauded too much either. Also, it would be nice if a hostile alien race could invade earth and NOT tear it a new one for a change. Why can't anyone want us for our lush forests and green pastures? Anyway.

To be fair, gameplay – in terms of fighting your way through an area - does get interesting when planes intersect. It can be very tricky to fend off guys who are in front of you, whilst also dodging fire from another bunch of guys who are hugging the wall. Eventually, you may be allowed to go onto a jump point that allows you to change and orient yourself to the new plane, but getting through to that none-the-less does pose a challenge. There are also segments that have zero-gravity, which change the dynamics of the game. We haven't actually gone hands on with one such section yet, so we don't know how long or frequent they are though.



When wewere forming our opinion of the game's comparison 'DNA', we were glad to see that Inversion at least seemed to have learned all the right lessons. It's not got much of Bulletstorm, to be fair, apart from maybe slight visual similarities and the air of a minor OTT attitude, but it's definitely learned that having a crazy and powerful tool/weapon can make all the difference. For Armageddon, it was the magnet gun (and nano forge too I guess), and in Inversion, it's your gravity manipulator. This gadget has too modes – light and heavy. You can raise enemies and objects into the air with light, and also grab and throw things, and with heavy you can make enemies implode on themselves, as well as bring down hanging objects to form extra cover. Provided they make good use of that, we see this being key to enjoying the game.
 

See? Bayonets do make everything better...

Red Faction's lack of success already doesn't bode well for this game – while yes, the devs will tell you that this game is different – they are all different, and yet they are all the same. Let's hope that this sci-fi third-person action/shooter does better than the other sci-fi third person action/shooter. So far, there's not a lot here to truly make it special, but who knows maybe the whole gravity thing will push just the right amount of buttons. Inversion is due out on Xbox 360, PS3 (and OnLive, allegedly) in February 2012.

Most Anticipated Feature: Just generally seeing more of what the game has to offer, we've seen so little so far.