The Shield
Only the hardcore fans will enjoy it
Tags: Shield Categories: PC Reviews, PS2 Reviews, Reviews
Posted by Adam Jarmon Brown on Mar 7th, 2007
| Title | Players | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Shield (title page) | 1 | ||
| Developer | Publisher | Genre | Online |
| Action | No | ||
Airing on the FX network, The Shield is a truly edgy, dark police drama staring Michael Chiklis, and one of the best things on television currently. Sadly the game falls far, far short of the apple tree it fell off of. Which is sad considering the amazing quality of the source material it’s based on.
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The game takes place between the show’s third and fourth seasons, and deals with the ramifications of the third seasons ending. The plot is excellent and clearly brought to life by the talented writers from the series, and the voice talents of almost everyone reprising their characters.
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The Shield converts most of the shows elements into game form, including foot chases, searching for and planting of evidence, and foot chases for example. Vic Mackey (Chiklis) carries a HEAT meter in his HUD (head’s up display). Theft of evidence, brutality against suspects, etc raises the heat meter. To lower it Vic can turn evidence in at The Barn (headquarters). But if the heat is low on Vic, he can always stash the evidence to increase his..ahem… “retirement fund.”
While it all sounds like a great game on the way in the door, it’s a game that could have used more development. Which is shame considering it sat on shelves waiting for a distributor for the last year or so. It just lacks polish. Most features cause frustration more than enjoyment.
Searches prompt a mini-game that requires you to move a red circle around your badge until you find the “evidence”. Sadly the timer on the game is so brief that more often than not you’ll fail without having a chance to actually play.
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And while The Shield includes several “stealth” missions, there’s no true stealth involved in them. More a matter of trial and error until you find the right route and can move on. The cover mechanics are just plain bad, slow and frustrating when compared to other games that make heavier use of it. It can be downright painful to watch Vic pause, turn around, and back into a wall. Not to mention that firing from cover is almost impossible to deal with. The camera also presents many problems and cause confusion, and headaches in several points of the game.
The worst part is probably the incredibly poor quality of the partner AI in The Shield. More often than not your partners will run right into a firefight getting their heads blown off and forcing you to start all over.
The Shield was petty exciting when it was announced a couple of years ago. But the massive delays have relegated it to feeling more like a “been there, done that game.” Brutal interrogations have been done better in The Punisher. Pretty much everything that was exciting about this game initially is now old.
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Visually The Shield is not pretty. Clippy, jagged and everyones eyes look like they’ve been shoved into their heads instead of being actual parts of them. But where the game truly shines is the audio quality. Almost every character is reprised by their actors from the show, and given the same punch and quality.
I really wanted to like this game. I am a huge fan of The Shield, but the game just left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. It’s worth playing, if only for the story line. But the game mechanics and quality are simply subpar.
Worth a rental if you’re a HUGE fan of the series, otherwise take a pass.
| What Works | Score |
|---|---|
|
+ Excellent performances by the cast of the TV series + Good story that bridges the gap between seasons 3 & 4 |
3.0 |
| What Doesn't | |
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- Subpar graphics that look incredibly rushed - Game Mechancics that we've seen before and done better |
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| Under the Shrink-wrap | |
| The Shield, in the end, is a game that will only appeal to the true hardcore fans. If you love the TV series rent it, otherwise take a pass. | |
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Tags: Shield
Posted by Adam Jarmon Brown on Mar 7th, 2007 and is filed under PC Reviews, PS2 Reviews, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can post a comment, or trackback from your own site.
