"Quantum Theory" Review (Xbox 360)

It would be positively silly of me to begin any review of the third-person action game "Quantum Theory" without mentioning "Gears of War." Now, granted, it's my belief that while the "Gears" franchise is just as awesome as everyone says it is, it's NOT as original as many would claim. Some third-person shooters that required tactical use of cover that pre-date "Gears" are "WinBack" and, more importantly, "Kill.Switch." But with "Theory" there can be no doubt -- this game is a blatant knockoff of "Gears of War." From the beefy, gravel-throated men in oversized armor gruffly running around and shooting things on down to the inclusion of the so-called "roadie run," "Theory" is undoubtedly a game that would not exist were it not for "Gears" -- or, more importantly, the success of "Gears."

Naturally, such a lack in originality is already a mark against a game from page one. I mean, the game damn near steals its control scheme from "Gears" on down to the button. Given that the game comes from a developer in Japan, the whole concept seems rather offensive as a Western gamer. I mean, a bunch of Japanese coin counters looked at the Western market, realized "Gears of War" was making an ass ton of money for all involved, and concluded, "Hey, this is what Western gamers want. Let's make that game over again, sell it to Americans who won't know the difference, and it'll be huge!" But, of course, we do know the difference, don't we?

So, that's out of the way. "Quantum Theory," apart from having maybe the worst title ever slapped on the package of an action game (it sounds like a damn science class!), stumbles right out of the gate because of its clone-like nature. That and because it forces you to compare it to "Gears," not only a better game but one that presumably has a much larger budget. The graphics in "Theory" just can't compete, nor can the soundtrack, or even the sound effects. So if this is a problem for anyone who has even remotely considered playing this game -- don't bother. In other words, lets put it like this -- if "Gears of War" is Sylvester Stallone, "Quantum Theory" is his brother Frank.

However, I hasten to add, "Theory" is actually a fairly playable game once you cut through all that "Gears" clone bullshit. While I can't recommend it to avid "Gears" heads who would be much better off playing through either game in that franchise a third, forth, fifth, sixth, or seventh time (or whatever), I would dare suggest that a less diehard "Gears" fanatic with time on their hands between "Gears 2" and "Gears 3" give it a look. It would also be suited to gamers who have never played a "Gears" game before -- but why they would want to start by playing "Theory" instead of copping a used copy of the original "Gears" is beyond me, and another story altogether!

"Theory" casts you as Syd. A scarred, surly muscle man clad in armor that no human being could move in. His single-minded goal in this post-apocalypse setting is to destroy The Tower, a sort of living structure that is unleashing something called Diablosis upon the already ailing world, transforming humans into monsters. Like most Asian games released in the States, something might be lost in translation here, because I couldn't make much sense out of any of it. Suffice it to say, the gameplay has to pick up the storyline's slack -- which is fine, since this is an action game.

Basically, if "Gears" does it, so does "Theory." The controls aren't quite as fluid, but a do an admirable job replicating the feel of "Gears." It's definitely familiar territory right from the go. It's just... not as good. Fortunately, after Syd enters The Tower, the game does finally decide to try to carve out a slight identity of its own. The setting is pretty cool, as The Tower really feels alive. The best moments in "Theory" force you to react to changes in The Tower, like walls that suddenly spring up from the floor, or do the opposite, leaving you naked and in the open when you thought you had a good position on the field. Other cool moments involve gravity-defying shootouts on the back of flying bridges or worm-like creatures. These moments come a bit too late for the game's own good, but they do come, and once they do they are, thankfully, used quite often.

The weapons the game offers are many and capable, but not necessarily standout. I found myself relying on heavy machine guns instead of potentially cooler sounding stuff like a gun that shoots saw-blades. The more inventive weapons are just too difficult to get a drop on your enemy with, usually don't come with enough ammo, and the end result is always the same with any weapon -- killed enemies stumble backward and explode into green or red fountains of grue. Now, I'm as big a fan of body-specific damage as anybody, but I can't say I minded shooting the foes in "Theory" only to see them burst in brightly colored displays of gore. It's a nice change of pace and rather satisfying -- particularly headshots, which are maybe too difficult to pull off, but do come with a slow-mo close-up shot of your enemies' mutated skulls liquifying as your bullet finds its target.

Syd is not alone in battling The Towe, either, as he meets a female companion along the way(scantily clad in the grand video game tradition) that will "aid" him in battle. Now, I use the term "aid" loosely when it comes to her ability to indirectly deal damage to your foes -- but you can summon her at will and throw her -- yes, THROW her -- at your foes. It's a very powerful attack that can see her cleaving even your bigger, stronger opponents in half with one direct shot, and it's a cool, albeit random edition to the "Gears" style gameplay.

The Tower's design is kind of cool, but the graphics can't keep up. Also, the game generically offers doors and openings that Syd cannot enter despite the fact that he blatantly should be able to do so, which is just bloody annoying to me. The game just screams generic all around, point of fact -- especially in the early stages.

"Quantum Theory" is a very difficult game for me to score. I only paid twenty-five bones for it less than a month after its release, something that must be considered, as I did enjoy parts of the game despite myself. It's a solid, playable shooter that just so happens to stand in a long, dark shadow of much better games -- even games that themselves drew inspiration from the same source material (see "Drake's Fortune," "Dark Sector," "Army of Two," and "Kane & Lynch"). Bottom line -- "Theory" has its moments, and if you're bored of playing through "Gears" multiple times and want an almost exact clone of that game with a new campaign and a few additional bells and whistles, "Theory" is worth a look. It's not a terrible game, it just lacks its own identity, which, to many, is more than enough reason to dismiss it outright.

Final Score: 6.4