Pandemic have been known as the jokers in the pack that is the gaming fraternity. Destroy All Humans and Mercenaries 2 were always great fun and aimed at a more mature audience, without skimping on the genuine laugh out loud moments and core gameplay that most titles need nowadays to keep us old farts happy.
The Saboteur could not be more mature. Based in Nazi Europe during the Second World War, the story focuses upon an Irish mechanic, Sean Devlin, and his attempt to take down the German war machine with a little help from some dear friends, as well as a few new acquaintances he meets along the way (look out for Father Denis and Dr Kwong in particular). The reason for his attack on the Third Reich is revenge, after watching his best friend Jules being killed by racing driver come part time surgeon, Kurt Dierker. After escaping their HQ, which doubles up as a motor factory, he saves his late pal’s sister and father from the enemy and vows to them that the Nazis will get what’s coming to ‘em.
For those who are members of the politically correct movement, you may want to stay away from this one. The Swastika is pretty much everywhere, as is a shovel load of offensive language that even a stand-up comedian would be most proud of. Not to mention the occasional banter directed at certain members of the Irish and Scottish community (well, the German one is slightly obvious, don’t you think?) It’s all harmless chin wagging and it’s this well written and smile inducing script that provides the most punch here. Some points will have you genuinely laughing at the telly.
The layout of the game is very GTA/Saints Row/Godfather (delete as appropriate) and has a little hint of Assassin’s Creed mixed in for good measure. There is the normal running and driving elements that we come to expect from such a genre, but this is blended with the climbing of buildings and costume changes that Altair originally handed out to us (you can tell there’s been an influence from Ubisoft’s hit anyway, seeing as how that’s the name of one of the race cars you can unlock in the game).
They say it’s not what you’ve got, but what you do with it that counts, and The Saboteur is most definitely shrewd when it comes to how it utilises its key assets. It is nicely set in graphical terms, with some lovely country backdrops mixed in with busy 1930s streets and towns, and although the visuals aren’t perfect, with some screen tear and rather close pop-up, it’s the colour system that’s used here that REALLY impresses. When the Nazi’s own the land it appears in a very Sin City style, with black and white taking up most of the screen and the only vibrancy to be seen is the red of the German army flags and paraphernalia that belong to Hitler’s guards. Once Sean gets stuck into things and wins back part of Paris for the resistance there is a massive explosion of colour, allowing for a more radiant gaming sandbox. You really have to see it to understand how good this works.
The music is VERY fitting, with some songs which really wouldn’t look out of place in Fallout 3, as it has a hint of the Gramophone era about it. It’s nice to have these relevant touches, but I would have rather they left out the theme music remix, as it just doesn’t seem to fit in as well when you’re driving about in the cars, to be honest. Audio wise it’s very well put together, with the weapons sounding as meaty as you’d like them to be, not to mention some truly ear popping explosions, but it’s the script work and the performances that really make The Saboteur come to life. So there may well be some rather “interesting” accents, but the way it’s put together, as well as some rather amusing German dialect, helps to create a really enjoyable gaming experience.
The length of the game is considerably long if you wish to go about and do EVERYTHING, and when most of that consists of blowing up Nazi tanks and fuel depots on the fly, or taking out a sniper by sneaking up behind him at the top of his tower you can see why you don’t really get bored as quickly as some other games of this type. There are the collectibles and stunt ramps as there are in pretty much every title since GTA III, but they are just extras at the end of the day. The main game will last you a couple of days play if you just simply go through the main and side missions without mucking about, but the city Pandemic have created demands you have a little bit of fun on the side.
It may well be just for one player, but it’s actually quite refreshing to see something go back to what we used to have before online gaming became such a dominant force. The Saboteur just doesn’t care that it has no multiplayer to speak of, mainly because it’s not required. There are no leader-boards, no video uploads of your best kills or what have you. That suits me just fine, thanks.
The thing for me is that no matter how many times this one piece of software makes me smile and chuckle; it’s always tinged with a little sadness, as this was Pandemic’s last game. Why they ceased to be is beyond me, but if this is their final act then it deserves to be applauded. The Godfather II, which was EA’s last sandbox game, was such a huge disappointment compared to the original one, but I can only imagine what would have happened if these guys had been allowed to get their hands on it instead. I found the whole experience a joy to play, and while it may have gotten a little repetitive (as most of these games do, to be fair) and some screen tear and the occasional graphical glitch were noticeable, it still can’t take away from just how much fun I had with this.
VideogameUK verdict: 8/10
