Constantine – XB – Review

When I think about it, movie-based games come across as
some kind of synergetic marketing ploy to rake in extra dollars.  Its hard
enough for gamers to fork up the cash toward their hobby without worrying about
an inferior product.  In my mind, Constantine was a great movie that
carried hidden messages throughout the film.  If you are reading this
review and have not seen the movie, you must be 1 of 2 things:

1.  You enjoy my egocentric rantings

2.  Too busy to watch a 2 hour movie, but not too busy
to read my egocentric rantings

Whatever the case, step away from your computer and go see
Constantine.  The visual effects alone are worth the trip.  But
what about the game?  Interestingly enough, the best part of the game
follows the best part of the movie- the graphics.  Tragically, other main
parts fall into the fiery pits of hell.

The game opens up with one of the starting scenes from
Constantine (not actual movie footage).  A cancer-ridden outcast with
the taste for a good smoke and exorcising demons, John Constantine, arrives in
an inner-city apartment complex to rid a young girl’s body of demonic forces.
But as certain events unfold, John is convinced that the balance between heaven
and hell has been broken and a new hell on Earth will arise.  Let it be
known, the developers didn’t focus on storytelling because nothing of what I told
you is explained in the game at all.  They essentially drop you off in hell
and order you to navigate through the linear-based environment.

Progressing through hell is very much dependent on new
passages opening up by exploding fire balls.  Though visually appealing,
this technique is used way too often and I continually found myself saying, "Oh,
I guess I can now go this away."  Now, if you think Hell is nothing but a
picnic lunch (where there is too much peanut butter and not enough milk), you
are wrong.  Dangerous crawling and flying creatures of darkness are just
dying to meet you (though dying in Hell is a lot like eating at the Outback
right after a buffet at the Sizzler, overkill). 

John must put his array of powerful incantations like
Exorcise, Protection, and Stormcrow (that summons multiple bolts of lightning to
strike down on any target enemies) and arsenal of Holy artifacts including the
Crucifier (that fires six-inch iron nails pulled from the flesh of dead
martyrs), the Holy Shotgun, and the Dragon’s Breath Flamethrower to good use.
The control system took me some time to  adjust to with sluggish aim and
movement functions.  Constantine also possesses a unique talent to identify
lurking demonic forces, True Sight.  It’s just another feature developers
added to improve the gameplay, but what it was intended to be used for (spotting
demons disguised as humans) isn’t essential to the game.  This is namely
due to the easiness of the games enemy AI and weak attacks.

As I said before, the visuals in Constantine are in
a league of their own compared to the other game elements.  The artists
really did capture the look and feel of hell based on the movie- Frozen in time
and ever burning and degrading (you really must see it).  The skies are
filled with blood red clouds with mangled cars blowing in the intense wind and
heat and unfortunate souls in every corner try desperately to flee their
torturers.  I really wished footage from the movie was edited into the
games cinematics so as to link the movie closer to the game.  The character
models are also very detailed, resembling Keanu Reeves like a glove.
Environments change in staged events like massive explosions though other
interactivity is non existent (gun shots have no affect on the functionality of
objects like televisions and lights).  However, this could be the worst
voice acting I have ever heard.  It’s like a bad actor trying to imitate
another bad actor and doing a bad job of it.  The music and the sound
effects are both average.

Though its not the best movie-based game I’ve played, its
certainly not the worst.  A lot of the game has already been done before
and most likely better in other titles.  If you liked the movie, it wont
hurt to rent it on your favorite system.

Gameplay: 6.8
The game isn’t lacking in content, but there is nothing innovative that
hasn’t been done before.

Graphics: 9
The graphics look so good, It makes me want to vacation in Hell.

Sound: 5.0
Unfortunately the voice acting was not what it could have been.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium

Concept: 8.0
Okay, Okay.  The "demons on earth" idea isn’t anything new, but it’s
still cool.

Overall: 6.9
The game’s strengths don’t save Constantine from gaming purgatory