Thought about a lot about music while playing this- how it could occasionally transform the game, but so often failed in its implementation. The game has a “huddle” mechanic, basically a super mode for the whole team, and it’ll pick a song at random to play alongside the action.
Sometimes it’s incredible, a dramatic and tender scene will lead into a massive fight, only to be scored by “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” It’s a great idea, too often brought down by the fact that you’re most often activating the ability at the end of fights, so you’ll likely hear the first few seconds of something like “The Final Countdown” before unceremoniously killing the last enemy.
There are also a few songs that reach near “Big Iron” levels of airwave dominance; despite having a decently-sized tracklist, the game seemed to have a strange fascination for “Tainted Love” and “Jitterbug,” playing them in fight after fight. What I assumed to be the anthem for the game, “Zero to Hero,” was noticeably absent for my playthrough, and I kept on waiting for the lavish set piece where the vocals would kick in- the “Rules of Nature” moment that never seemed to happen. Turns out the licensed and non-licensed soundtracks are mutually exclusive; you’re choosing between a near-constant musical bait-and-switch or a stream of more fitting, but less iconic, buttrock.
I guess the reason I want to highlight this feature in particular, is that I don’t think this game suffers so much from the Triple-A problems of a compromised vision or some horrific development cycle, as much as one of a slightly lacking execution. I could go on about the shortcomings of the combat or the weaker points of the story, but I think I begrudgingly liked it. All of it’s issues at least speak to a game that’s earnestly trying to make systems that suit its characters- and the few moments where everything aligned, with the full range of abilities unlocked, the cast trading banter with another, and “Relax” playing in the background- it all works.
But seriously, I’ve rarely had a moment as deflating as when I used my powers to pull a guy into a bottomless pit, only to see him plop back into existence on the nearest platform. Deeply unsatisfying.
Sometimes it’s incredible, a dramatic and tender scene will lead into a massive fight, only to be scored by “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” It’s a great idea, too often brought down by the fact that you’re most often activating the ability at the end of fights, so you’ll likely hear the first few seconds of something like “The Final Countdown” before unceremoniously killing the last enemy.
There are also a few songs that reach near “Big Iron” levels of airwave dominance; despite having a decently-sized tracklist, the game seemed to have a strange fascination for “Tainted Love” and “Jitterbug,” playing them in fight after fight. What I assumed to be the anthem for the game, “Zero to Hero,” was noticeably absent for my playthrough, and I kept on waiting for the lavish set piece where the vocals would kick in- the “Rules of Nature” moment that never seemed to happen. Turns out the licensed and non-licensed soundtracks are mutually exclusive; you’re choosing between a near-constant musical bait-and-switch or a stream of more fitting, but less iconic, buttrock.
I guess the reason I want to highlight this feature in particular, is that I don’t think this game suffers so much from the Triple-A problems of a compromised vision or some horrific development cycle, as much as one of a slightly lacking execution. I could go on about the shortcomings of the combat or the weaker points of the story, but I think I begrudgingly liked it. All of it’s issues at least speak to a game that’s earnestly trying to make systems that suit its characters- and the few moments where everything aligned, with the full range of abilities unlocked, the cast trading banter with another, and “Relax” playing in the background- it all works.
But seriously, I’ve rarely had a moment as deflating as when I used my powers to pull a guy into a bottomless pit, only to see him plop back into existence on the nearest platform. Deeply unsatisfying.