Games based on movies are generally horrendous. We've had so many poor movie games since the introduction of consoles into our homes that most gamers scoff when they hear the latest block buster movie will be available as a cross-platform release. However, every now and then, one game will break this mould and unfortunately Battle: Los Angeles by developers Saber Interactive is not that game.

Ironically, this first person shooter isn't that bad, however I must confess that the movie Battle: Los Angeles is probably one of the worst films that I have had the pleasure of watching. One of our reviewers gave the movie a whopping 1 out of 10 (http://www.impulsegamer.com/moviebattlela.html) and unfortunately I must whole heartedly agree with them and if I wasn’t with friends in the cinema, I would have walked out from its ludicrous plot that was oozing with over the top American military spirit.

With that said, the game is considerably better.

As opposed to the smoke and mirrors that they used in the movie to disguise the aliens and more specifically the special effects, the game does not cut any corners and gives the player a stock standard first person shooter. Your goal is simple, get from point A to point B and kill anything that gets in your way. Like most XBox Live games, Battle: Los Angeles is quite short and most gamers will easily be able to knock this over in just a few hours which is probably just enough for most. Considering that the developers only had the story from the movie to work with, it's actually surprising how much they managed to squeeze out.

In terms of story, Los Angeles has been invading by aliens who want our resources (according to the scientist from the movie) and they do this by extermination of the native population. Your goal is simple, stay alive, kill the aliens and liberate Los Angeles. Plot sound a little familiar? Independence Day done this plot but fortunately they done it better. Unfortunately for us! In terms of story, the developers did not use any of the cinematics from the movie to progress the story but rather comic panels are used for cut scenes. These just feel out of place compared to the in-game graphics engine which is a shame or maybe they were trying to distance themselves.

Forgive my negativity about the movie but this will be my second last snipe at it... it was a stinker. Thankfully the game isn't that bad as you run through the streets of Los Angeles, fighting these strange almost Halo-like aliens as they tear apart the city of Angels. The game will give you a basic overall of what is required in the mission briefing and for the majority of the time, you'll be killing aliens left, right and centre. Your character has access to a handful of weapons from rifles to grenades or the rocket launcher that really blasts these alien scumbags to kingdom come as they desecrate American soil! Oorah!

My favourite gun was the sniper rifle that actually did pay homage to the movie rather well as the sniper scope was used quite a bit in the film. As you run around with your squad, saving America, the AI of the game is quite easy to dispatch and most enemies will reel over with a well aimed head shot, courtesy of the sniper rifle. One cool aspect of the game is the damage system. If you repetitively get hit, your world slows down considerable, even the sound effects that is quite a nifty way of penalising the gamer for being wounded and is a good special effect. Unfortunately there is no multiplayer mode contained in Battle: Los Angeles but if you continue completing the game on different levels, you will unlock videos and pictures as an incentive but honestly, once was enough.

Graphically, Battle: Los Angeles is not a bad looking game and replicates the war torn Los Angeles well. Unfortunately the enemies in the game are just limited to a few different types which does make things a little repetitive at the best of times. Fortunately the character design of the game is acceptable and there is a plethora of things that can be destroyed in the environment for that additional Hollywood flair. The voice over's in Battle: Los Angeles is even more over the top than the movie and that's really saying something. Oorah!

In conclusion, for a low budget game based on a high budget but really bad movie, Battle: Los Angeles is an "ok" first person shooter but is probably a little steep in terms of price due to the content and length of the game. It's definitely a game for the fans of the movie and if you're a fan of the first person shooter genre, I would err on caution in purchasing this game unless it goes on special. Now it's back to rehab for me... I'm still trying to get the movie out of my brain! The horror must stop! Oorah!