Constantine

7.0
Good

Gameplay	7.0	"Constantine is a slightly better than average action/shooter with a..."
Graphics	6.5
Sound	4.5
Value	7.0

By Sam Leitch

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After being denied the privilege to play as Neo in Enter The Matrix, gamers can finally step into Keanu's shoes in the different-but-really-quite-similar Constantine, another shotgun-shells film conversion.

Games based on films usually aren't worth playing but how about a game based on a book based on a comic? Constantine the movie is unfaithful to the comic so much so that the original creator Alan Moore wanted his name removed from the credits. However the game is faithful to the movie and unlike some movie games such as Lord of the Rings, does not contain any spoilers. The game is based on a side story making it a great companion piece to the movie.

The basic plot is that you are Constantine, a supernatural private eye (as you do) who is investigating a chain of suicides that turn out to be linked to a brewing war between heaven and hell. After being diagnosed with a terminal case of lung cancer, Constantine is looking for a way back into heaven as a suicide attempt earlier in life condemned him to hell. What this adds up to is you having to shoot hoards of demonic enemies with holy weapons - such as your (holy) shotgun... It's a sure fire way to get back on gods good side.

My first impressions were mixed. Presentation is slick from the get go and the introductory cut scene shows some promise. Despite the controls being adjustable they just never quite feel as natural as they could do and I always felt a little restricted. The pacing and atmosphere however was pretty good as you start off in the firestorm that is hell. Demons, and cars flying through the air make for some interesting scenery. After you have had a little taster of the game you are carried away by a flying beast and the title screen rolls.

As far as gameplay goes, sadly Constantine offers nothing new. In fact it largely plays like Max Payne but slightly slower and lacking the cool bullet time antics. What this leaves you with is a pretty basic shooter that does still manage to be entertaining in places.

During the game you will constantly switch from the Real World and Hell. Real world levels are bland, dark and repetitive whilst the hell levels feature some cool tricks but ultimately don't break up the action quite well enough. There are puzzles here and there but they are a watered down distraction from the shooting. Whilst the idea of moving things in one world affecting things in the other world could make for some decent puzzles, you'll always know exactly when you need to do this as the rifts (puddles of water) are always found in spots where you need to do this.

The biggest problem is that the levels feel far too restrictive, often there are little gaps or barriers that shouldn't hinder your character but manage to block off paths completely. Often a little mound of dirt, a plank or a little ledge is all it takes to stop Keanu dead in his tracks. I've always found this an unconvincing and cheap trick which also makes the game feel much more sterile and linear than it really needs to be. Also it doesn't help that objects within the levels are not interactive. Lights can't be shot out, vases can't be smashed and doors can't be kicked in. Well there are a couple of objects you can interact with but they are few and far between marked by an X button symbol popping onto your screen.

Graphically this game looks pretty dated for the most part - especially the real world locals. The textures are boring, the character models awkward and the geometry simple. Then again since when have generic warehouses and alleys ever been inviting? The detail that is there is often lost in darkness anyway. The hell levels as previously mentioned do have interesting things going on such as pits of fire and other survival horror type sights but suffer from a bland colour pallet that makes them look washed out and dreary losing the impact they should have had. Constantine isn't a bad game to look at by all means but you'll hardly feel inspired.

The weakest part of the game would have to be the audio. The gunshots are sadly muffled taking half the fun out of having a shotgun in the first place. A Keanu impersonator has been hired which does add to the game in places but many outspoken comments and one liners are just laughable - and not in a good way! Most voice samples either state the obvious or make a lame joke such as "A leap without faith". The music isn't bad, but for the most part it is completely absent kicking in with some riffs only when enemies are near by.

Constantine is much like the movie it's based on, you expect it to be generic, it has some cheap visuals, wooden acting and you probably wouldn't pay to see it twice. However all the parts, despite the flaws do work well together and if you bring some popcorn along and a friend, you can pass some time and enjoy yourself. By all means this game IS better than most film to game conversions and there are some nice touches but it's a little hard to recommend when such games as Devil May Cry and Max Payne have already trodden this ground.

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