… My game rating: 7 / 10 ...
First of all, It's awesome to get into game reviews once again where occasional illnesses and university won't bother me for five months! So to get back in the swing of things; I would like to start things off by reviewing a game that's one of my favourites yet has great room for future improvements.
The game was released around the same time as the movie. This review is a means of which we can make find out if game's based off a movie are good or are they a way for companies to gain more profit via other forms of media. Here you play as Ryder: a signal specialist who works for the RDA corp on Pandora. As a soldier; you execute orders to the letter… mending gates, interacting with your fellow soldiers, defending base camps, intercepting a mole. Eventually, you learn that what you have done at the beginning of the game brought devastation onto the Na'vai people. As you progress, you will face the ultimate choice: will you join the Na'vai or remain with the NDA and kill the mole?
Naturally, if you choose the Na'vai you will come across some stunning environments, ride the dangerous creatures on Pandora while revolting against the RDA, killing it's leaders on the battlefield, ambushing few soldiers and being knee deep in Na,via culture. Meanwhile, if you choose the RDA… let's face it, it's the evil badass choice to make so gameplay will be extermination on larger scales, while taking on their leaders single hand-idly. This being an evil path to take, means you get several opportunities to redeem yourself and change sides. However; you cannot change your human form. This will make combat with your now enemy, RDA a tad more challenging.
Combat on both sides are very over balanced. Naturally the Na'vai are not soldiers, these are hunters who know the way of their lands like the back of their hands. The Na'vai are mostly up close and attack and yet their bows match greatly out weighs the RDA ranged weaponry. While RDA, are mostly orientated on range, making them weak up close but they have armour whereas the other side has bone and ceremonial armour. Overall, combat is on the RDA's advantage especially if they attack in groups.
Let's take a look at the environments… Let's face it, the use of colour and light as well as texture and depth real adds to the general atmosphere of being in this very surreal and potentially hostile environment. The environments at night are jaw dropping to say the least and the ability to right banshees; is also a brilliant idea yet at times fiddly to control. As a Na'vai, these lands are sacred whereas the RDA see them as gold mines to benefit themselves. Character animations are also a highlight: the way the tail moves, the bags attached to your waist while running, and general character behaviour when your character action remains motionless. The weapons are also a well done feature: each has it's own uniqueness, especially the AVATAR weaponry where curves are prominent and colour gives a more ceremonial appearance. The use of lighting has been very impressive, especially the lighting to which surrounds hometree and night time surroundings. Another enjoyable factor, was seeing sprits floating in the air as the player walks past, this make the environment appear more in-depth and pure.
There is a deep and a beautiful sense of culture as well as history which surrounds Pandora and it's people which is part of the reason why I am so absorbed and in love with it! And while the game offers a breath of fresh air in terms of atmospheric environments, moral choices, the chance to revive yourself and collect samples, colourful weaponry, the ability to ride banshees, dire horses and thanators and strong NPC character's... Unfortunately; this wasn't enough in my opinion to rank it higher out of ten.
As this is an eccentric and dangerous world, I would have liked to have seen more effort placed on creating alot more side missions that link with the main storyline. For example, as a Na'vai you will come across a few AVATAR NPC's who insult and threaten to kill you, claiming that you will never be one of the people and as you level up you will gain new armours, powers and skills, there is a very brief description and story of each item. I feel as though this process was meaningless: considering that you betrayed your human, race you should have to win the people's trust by proving you are their friend. I believe side quests would have been really useful here, it would have offered the player a greater reward and appreciation towards the Na'vai customs.
Another aspect I felt needed changing was certain parts of populated environments. There are huts and buildings which sit there and offer no sense of purpose or interaction with the surroundings, player and NPC's in mind. These parts you will need to pay attention to noticing. However; I can present an example as to the huts I am referring to. In the first Na'vai settlement you are positioned in after you choose the Na'vai side, you will be surrounded by climbable structures that offer little to no reward for climbing them in the first place. In the corners of these settlements, is often where you will take note of the structures I speak of. There was even a cave full of water and crystals located nearby but was offered no intel or background information as to what's it's purposes was.
Player voices were quite tiresome at times. I would have hope voice overs and the scripts were softer in accent plus I wanted to player to properly interact with the natives instead of the occasional typical and unnecessary remarks.
To summarise, my game rating would have been much higher had there have been more interactive and rewarding environments, better voice acting, larger maps, a larger and in-depth encyclopaedia, ceremonies after reaching levelling up instead of the items magically appearing out of no where, improved conversation scripts, a great deal of side missions that offer you the chance to get to know your new allies, train to hunt, ambush the RDA patrols, create arty objects for home-tree, create your own weapons, learn the basic of the language, interact with families, craft and build your own lands and houses that steadily come to life with Na'vai and plant life the more you prove yourself and become a member etc. There was a great deal of potential here, and I feel there have been large parts that have been missed out, much to our mis-benefit.
Having said that; this is a good time. And if the changes I have enlisted are applied to the next game title in the AVATAR franchise, I think we will have a great game. This would offer players a deeper and rewarding sense of a different world that has different rules and cultures and more importantly… how we learn and fit into these places to find our own identities and make and break fate.
