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Mars War Logs
Smaller publishers remind me of the days
when new publishers that eventually turned big…had the gumption to push
the envelope a bit. Working out things with limited resources or funds
they often put forth games that struck a chord with gamers.
For
whatever reason Mars: War Logs makes me feel like it’s coming from one
of those hungry new developers that have something to throw out into the
industry and make a noise. Mars: War Logs when going head to head with
some of the bigger developers and publishers seems more like a poor
man’s answer to Mass Effect. It comes away with a mixed bag of features
that if you are not looking for King Lear you may find enough here to
keep you entertained amongst the Hodge podge of entertainment values.
This sci fi rpg style game has a nice enough mix to it in regards to
gaming that players of some of the table top cyberpunk or other sci fi
games will find some entertainment here.
Mars: War Logs takes place a century after some world changing event.
The red planet is in turmoil and war. Water is now the most prized
resource causing out right war for its control. In the middle of all
this players start out as a prisoner of war. Shipped off to a POW camp
the interactions begin to get rather tense here and it is here that you
soon discover this is not a game for kids. When they warn of adult
content and sexual innuendos they are not kidding. A young character
almost runs afoul of a prison gang in the sand showers; they want to
rape the lad. The dialogue is pretty straight forward about it as is the
actions of the characters on screen.
The
main character is multi skilled and like any good story is soon on a
grand adventure. It’s in a world where the outcome really won’t make a
huge impact; it’s more about making a crap situation into a tolerable
one. Along the way players the character is developed more by not only
the choices set forth, but also as the players choose different skills
and perks to customize the character. There is also a crafting system
that allows for creation and modifications of equipment. Early in the
game you are able to craft either injections like a health pack, or
ammunition which allows the player to create ammo for their weapons.
Under the skill tree there are only a few options to choose to branch
from they are Renegade, Combat or Technomancer. Each one has interesting
builds offering different play styles and strengths and weaknesses.
Every time the character levels up the player will have skill points
that they can spend to better the characters abilities. There are also
equipment slots; players can customize the looks and stats of equipment
for a better overall RPG experience.
The first part of the game is understandably easy, the first encounter
acts as a tutorial when you mix it up with some fellow prisoners. Later
on the enemy types get much harder to deal with and it takes some
strategy to take them on. Depending on your play style there are some
sections of the game that stealth comes in handy. You can even go so far
as to say stealth is very important in some areas. Trying to max out the
renegade skills having to do with stealth is a big help in these
sections; especially if the player wants to try their hand at some of
those stealth kills.
Story and voice acting are not too bad; they fit the game style well.
There are times throughout the story where the character dialogue is cut
off, and they do not speak what is painfully obvious the full line they
are supposed to speak. So if you run into this, having the sub titles on
may be of some assistance. While on this subject in regards to story,
avoid the temptation to jump past the story dialogues and cut scenes, a
lot of the game is more enjoyable while having the story play out for
you. Voice acting I suspect was done more on an individual actor by
actor basis, rather than the actors running the scene together and being
in the moment. For the most part it sells, it’s not stellar voice overs
but it is not awful either.
The
games controls at first were a cause for frustration. Preset as a game
controller mode, I almost did not find the right options section to
change it to mouse and keyboard. After that things worked a lot
smoother.
Combat in the game comes down to a lot of maneuvering, especially if the
player draws the attention of several enemies at once. They will swarm
you and attack as they see fit. They won’t line up and come at you in
order to make it easy for you. Oh no, some strategy and hit and run
tactics are in order here. After taking an enemy out don’t forget to
search them for useful items.
Graphically some of the game can seem a bit dated but I feel that this
is part of the games charms.
Mars: War Logs is worth a go as long as you understand out of the gate
it’s not a triple -A -title. But as a gamer, a true gamer, you may just
find yourself some entertainment here.
Have fun, play games.
Edwin Millheim |
