Consoles: PC, Xbox-360, PS3Genre: FPS
Players: 1
Rating: Mature 18+
War is hell, and Shellshock 2: Blood Trails is no exception to the phrase. This horror FPS made by Rebellion and Edios thrusts you into the dark jungles of the Vietnam war in search of your brother, and a secret objective known only as “Whiteknight”.
Story
One kilometer from the border of Vietnam, a mysterious classified target, codename: WhiteKnight is causing a strange infection amongst the ranks of both US and Viet Cong. Spec-Op soldiers were sent to retrieve the target, but the only one that returned was your brother, crazed and deranged, more monster than man.
As soon as you arrive on the scene to look at your brothers condition, the Viet Cong attack, and your brother escapes. As all hell breaks loose, you are the only one that stands a chance of finding WhiteKnight and rescuing your brother from the hell that is Vietnam.
The story, though interesting in concept, the execution is just too shallow for it to be of any interest. Main characters die off before they have a chance to become interesting, and the main character is for the most part boring and speechless save for a few key moments.
Gameplay
In a videogame, when the story is lacking, the gameplay either helps you ignore it, or only adds to the pain. Sadly, Shellshock 2's gameplay follows the latter.
While Shellshock 2 does provide an average challenge, what truly hurts the game is it's sloppy AI. Enemies somehow spot the player instantly in any situation, even if he is hidden in the dark behind a bush, about to take fire at their backs with a silenced pistol.
In addition, if they're preoccupied with a horde of zombies clawing the heck out of them, they'll still turn right around and concentrate fire on you, ignoring anything else that is currently ripping them to pieces!
Not only that, but enemies that don't have ranged weapons run straight towards the player, getting stuck behind fences, sandbags, and any other obstructions that lie in their path, making a menacing crowd of zombies, into a laughable shooting gallery.
The game does have some action scenes, and depending on whether you have a PS3 or 360, it could mean the difference between shaking the controller in a certain way intensely, or scrambling to press the correct buttons in a sequence.
Graphics and Sound
The graphics, surprisingly enough, were surprisingly well detailed. The environments, from caves, to the faces of your enemies looked alright on the PC, and certainly passable on the PS3 and 360.
The atmosphere is perfectly dark and eerie, with layers of dust or smoke, further obscuring your vision in the night. Sounds of distant gunfire, break through the silence in some areas, while others are deadly quiet, provoking the right amount of suspense and anticipation.
Accompanying your terrifying romp through the dark jungles of Nam' is a slightly unnerving score that does well to make a player feel tense right before falling prey to a trap or ambush. Unfortunately, the voice acting in all of the main scenes is nothing short of cheesy and terrible, only breaking the suspense built up to that point.
Overall
Shellshock 2: Blood Trails might be worth a playthrough for the challenge, or if you happen to be a zombie flick fan. While the story has good pacing in some areas, the execution of main events always seems to be off the mark. Sadly, this may be another game best left on the shelf.
Review by Johar Aston, TheLAG
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Copyright 2009 Johar Aston, TheLAG
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