Nix’s Picks – Volume 1: The Saboteur – Review

Oct 26, 2010

Welcome to Nix’s Picks!

A little background on me: I go by the gamer tag [PcP]apnixx, a name that has stuck with me in one form or another for almost 15 years. Most people call me Nix (the “ap” being my first and last initials).

My wife says I have a bad habit, and I can’t say I disagree, but its fun nonetheless. I buy games I’ve never heard of. I go to EB to buy a new release and generally end up picking up one or two games I’ve never heard of off the bargain shelf to see if I missed something good. It leads to quite the pile of rubbish, but I do find the occasional hidden gem. And so, ” Nix’s Picks” is born.

***Warning, all Nix Picks contain spoilers, although nothing too damaging****

The first Nix Pick is The Saboteur by Pandemic.

I’ll start by saying I actually expected this to be one of the bad ones. I don’t remember ever seeing any press for it and the back of the box is one of the least descriptive I’ve ever seen. I’m a huge fan of Sandbox games however, and this one surpisingly has turned out to be one of the best I’ve ever played.

Gameplay — 9/10

The gameplay is actually very surprising, and in a good way. The game plays a lot like Grand Theft Auto’s franchise but in my opinion: better. The driving mechanic is just as good as GTA’s and the on foot gameplay is MUCH improved from that series. You do everything you would expect from this type of sandbox game with some pleasant additions.

My favorite addition to the generic Sandbox genre is Mr.Devlin’s ability to scale buildings and other objects. The climbing mechanic is very nice and well done. There is an appreciable depth to the combat in the game. You can choose to approach enemies from ground level on foot, by vehicle, by vehicle bomb, or you can get to a high vantage point and take out the enemy from a distance.

Another part of the gameplay that is very nice, given the historic place it is set, is the rebellion dynamic. As you do missions and take out Nazi emplacements (towers, radars, spotlights etc. scattered all over France) you inspire the people living in that district. Do enough and that area becomes inspired to fight back on their own to the point that they will even protect you from any Nazis chasing you.

Story — 9/10

The game starts off in Nazi occupied France,. You play a Irish born man by the name of Sean Devlin. After a short bit of running around with what’s soon to be the resistance in France you flash back and find out how the protagonist ended up where he is. A race car driver by trade he is mistaken to be a British agent by a Nazi champion race car driver. I wont go into more depth than that but the back-story is very well written. The game really seems to embody what I believe it must of been like to be in this situation.

Graphics — 8/10

When I first began playing this game I was very confused. I even checked the settings on my tv to make sure things didn’t get screwed up.

The game begins in black and white, something I didn’t expect. Though some things remain in color, red Nazi armbands and other insignia remain in color. I would assume both for the dramatic effect and for the ease of picking targets out of a crowd. As you liberate parts of France the color returns to that area. It sounds like a annoying system but it actually REALLY adds to the game and I’m surprised how much I liked it.

Sound — 6/10

The sound is good in this game. From the period appropriate music of the 30′s and 40′s playing on the radio in the cars, to the guns sounding like guns and the epic German speech flooding over loud speakers when you set off a base alarm. There’s nothing spectacular however which is why it gets the low score.

The Bottom Line

This is one of the few games that I will most likely keep in my collection permanently. It’s by far one of the best sandbox games I’ve ever played and worth a play for anyone who is a fan of WWII history or the sandbox genre.

4.5 Pigs out of 5