Saboteur

[JRD]

Bumped into another interesting title coming out sometime in the future...  ;D
Game's name is Saboteur, created by Pandemic (same as mercenaries).
Key words are: open world (of course), stealth, WWII and 3rd person view (sorry Ricamundo, don't blame the messenger  ;) ). Might be some kind on Assassins Creed but in the 40's and with guns and explosives.
Check the review below

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t's safe to say that games have gone to the World War II idea well one time too many. But then, that most epic conflict in world history has proved to be a fertile source of inspiration for game developers. Despite the familiar nature of most action games centered on the war, Southern California-based Pandemic, of Destroy All Humans!, Star Wars: Battlefront, and Mercenaries fame, is trying its hand at offering a new take on that familiar ground with Saboteur, an original third-person action game. We recently visited the developer to get a look at an early w@&k-in-progress version to find out how its game isn't going to fit into the stereotypical WWII mold.

Saboteur separates itself from the pack of WWII games out of the gate with its story. Whereas the majority of WWII games cast you in the role of a soldier fighting in the Allied forces, Saboteur casts you as an average Irish dude named Sean. Though the war is a bummer for those in Europe, Sean was basically OK with it until a fateful day when friends of his were murdered by German forces. However, the tragic events don't inspire the rough-and-ready Irishman to enlist and become part of the war effort. Turns out, Sean's motivations are a bit more "focused." Rather than try and do his part to take down the Axis forces, Sean's goal in the game is to take revenge on the Germans who took out his friends. One in particular seems destined for a special kind of murdering when the time comes.

Saboteur will finally present a new spin on perhaps the most overused gaming milieu ever.

Though Pandemic wasn't ready to fully disclose the details of Saboteur's gameplay, there were a few elements that will be key to the experience. The basic framework of the game is third-person action. You'll guide Sean on his run of revenge through, above, and around the streets of Paris. You'll be able to pick up weapons and drive vehicles as needed to ensure you get your job done. Sean's lack of formal training will influence the game's action, as he'll be a little rough around the edges and more improvisational than your typical soldier. The stealth elements in the game range from your standard sneaking around rooftops to avoid being seen to, of course, murdering quietly. One of the interesting stealth aspects is that in some cases, you'll need to quickly blend in with the crowds, so you might have to grab an unsuspecting lady and make out to keep from being discovered. One thing to note is that Sean is in this strictly for payback, so while you'll clash with Germans, you're not necessarily fighting for the Allied forces. This isn't to say you won't wind up helping them out if your goals happen to match theirs, but it's not really a focus.

Besides taking pride in your kills, killing enemies restores hope to the city. You get a visual representation of this via the game's slick color mechanic, which is known as "will to fight." If you can take out Germans in parts of the city that are displayed in black and white, you'll restore color to the city and the residents will be happy. No, you're not joined by a sun god in the form of a wolf on the adventure, though Saboteur's color mechanic does sound a bit like Okami's. Pandemic had been mulling over how to pull it off for several years, and the advent of new hardware finally convinced the team to implement it to their standard of quality.

The visuals in the w@&k-in-progress version of the game are looking incredibly sharp, even at this early stage. The city is a large playground, and as with Mercenaries, it will provide a large amount of ground to cover. You'll be able to roam the streets, take to the roofs, or drive around the country. While exact details aren't final, it seems as though you'll have a fat chunk of Paris and a modest chunk of the surrounding countryside to adventure in. There seems to be a good amount of interactivity with the environment already, though we're not sure if it's going to go to the Mercenaries-style "Look, ma! I leveled the city!" extremes. Character models are looking solid, though animation is understandably rough given the game's early state. Color is a key element of the action. Besides the polar changes between the black-and-white and colorized areas in the city, the game's color palette--inspired by the French countryside--is lush, with deep tones that complement the game's cinematic look.

Look for an Okami-esque color mechanic to factor into the gameplay.

The game's audio sounds as though it's going to take some interesting detours. Saboteur should have the expected array of voice and sound effects that take advantage of the sound hardware of the new consoles. However, the soundtrack is shaping up to be an interesting element. The team is aiming to incorporate period jazz and some new takes on classic pieces to give the game a unique feel. The juxtaposition of the low-key music and some of the action should make for some very cool moments and sell the game's cinematic presentation.

Based on what we've seen, Saboteur is looking like a promising action game that may just offer a decidedly different World War II experience. The game seems like it should be a good showcase for what Pandemic does well--open-world gameplay, third-person action, big explosions, and slick tech. At the same time, the stealth elements seem to flesh out what's been tried in Mercenaries. The dynamic world and the color mechanic are also pretty interesting and should further help the game stand out if they're worked in properly. There's a considerable amount of potential here, especially given Pandemic's recent track record, so we're aching to see how it all comes together. Saboteur is currently slated to ship on next-gen consoles next year. Look for more on the game in the coming months.

[Art Blade]

Interesting! Good find, JRD  :-X Cool stuff, I like the idea of Jazz music and b/w vs colours... story sounds fresh... I hope to hear more of it in the future, given a PC version is to follow.

[JRD]

Yes... multiplataform is a key word too :)

One guy commenting this game had a good point of view. WWII begun for uSA in 1942 (or was it 1941?) but it was going on since 1939. The whole Europe was involved for at least 4 years, so an irish character moved by revenge is a nice twist in story. As they say... whereas you are playing against the Axis, you are not an Ally soldier and has no special skills or trainning and have to improvise a lot  ;D

[PZ]

This does indeed sound like an interesting twist on the WWII theme.  Kind of reminds me of an old Burt Lancaster movie called "The Train", which was full of resistance heroes none of which were in the military.

[spaceboy]

I did read a somewhat negative preview (I think in GameInformer)  I'll fish out the copy and post some of it's thoughts soon.

[eor123]

I just bought this and will try to post my impressions of it.

[RedRaven]

Getting this first thing in the morning. cant wait it sounds great. Excellent find JRD, cheers :-X :-X :) .

In 'GAME' a UK store (not sure if they are in EU / USA) there is a graphic novel available.
Also an official strategy guide available. :-X

[spaceboy]

Make sure you get "The Midnight Show" free DLC redemption code.  Supposed to be included with a new purchase - the code should be inside but make sure you get it.

It's free and unlocks extra hiding spots and for those inclined, nudity at the strip club which is his first safe house. 

Read that in a mag this week.

[JRD]

I had completely forgot about that game. I was even impressed to see my name on the thread  :-[

Looking forward to reading more about it eor123  :-X

[eor123]

Make sure you get "The Midnight Show" free DLC redemption code.  Supposed to be included with a new purchase - the code should be inside but make sure you get it.

It's free and unlocks extra hiding spots and for those inclined, nudity at the strip club which is his first safe house. 

Read that in a mag this week.

Thanks for the heads up. I seem to find out about DLC after I've already played through most of a game. 

I just bought this one for the nudity, of course.  ;D

[Fiach]

I just bought this and will try to post my impressions of it.

Looking forward to your thoughts, just a heads up , but i'm sure you know irish people dont sound remotely like that guy in the game  :-[ :P :'( :D :-[ >:( ;D

[JRD]

Why don't they hire an..err.. maybe.. an IRISH GUY FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE... to voice over the character?

fragger said the aussie accent we hear on ameridcan movies and TV is anything but aussie... I met people from Autralia before and indeed they sound different on american TV...

Try to watch "The Rundown" a.k.a. "Welcome to the jungle" outside US... with Dwayne Johnson,
Seann William Scott, Christopher Walken and Rosario Dawson... they meet a guy at the rain forrest in Brazil and he speaks whatever you want but Portuguese... I couldn't understand a single word!

Anyway... still looking forward to read more  ;D ;D

[eor123]

So I'm sitting in this Paris nightclub enjoying the jazz, getting pissed, and trying to score one of the lovely topless dancers. This annoying Frog joins me at the bar and starts berating me for not taking a stand against the Germans. I look around the club and see drunken German soldiers, laughing and groping the barmaids. They don't seem like such bad guys to me.

For some unGodly reason I leave the nightclub and meet Luc in an alley, fearing that he may be more interested in man-love than fighting the Germans. But..he's wants to blow some sh!$e up. Well...that brought back fond memories of my mercenary days Leboa-Sako. Luc is no Frank Bilders but he is passionate..and he lets me drive his car and he has good tunes on the car radio.

But the car handles like sh!$e. Within a few blocks of travel I have killed more Parisians than the German Occupation has in weeks, but no one seems to take note. I guess there is nothing unusual about a drunken Irishman mowing down pedestrians in Paris.

Luc jumps out of the car to rescue some woman being manhandled by the Germans. I figure she owes them money or shorted them a "happy ending" and it is not any of my business but her let me drive his car so I feel obliged to help him before he gets his a$$ kicked.

I know I'm drunk but I can't seem to get anything right. I am unable to coordinate my punches, hard punches, kicks, and grabs. Life was so much simpler in Leboa-Sako. I just pointed and shot. I'm spinning around throwing blind punches and kicking air but somehow we get the situation in hand and steal some dynamite. Then we drive some more...

Paris' nickname as the "City Of Lights" is at risk with me driving along its streets. Light poles are crashing in astonishing numbers and pedestrians are dying or scrambling for cover as we make our way to the fuel depot. I fear Luc is beginning to suspect I may be a double agent as I have killed one German for every 10 Parisians so far.

"You know,  Luc...this could be the start of a beautiful friendship."

Or not.

We park and I climb up the side of the building at Luc's direction. I wanted to ask Luc why I couldn't just take the fekkin stairs but he ran off the to blow up a car. I had to plant dynamite on a large fuel tank but was spotted before I could light the fuse. I didn't realize I was fekkin Superman who could survive getting shot multiple times or I would have just walked in the damn gate, rather than swinging and climbing around like some a$$ monkey.

We run back to the car for our escape. Luc and I are getting sliced to ribbons with automatic weapon fire fire and our blood is coating the back of his car. Luc calmly asks, "So, is this what you were expecting it to be like?"

"Well...not exactly, mon ami."

I'm supposed to escape the red area on my small map. Well..it's all red. I have to stop the car to look at a bigger map to get a sense of where in the Hell I'm going. 

More inane dialogue ensues. We are getting shot to pieces and Luc is muttering as if we are on a Sunday afternoon stroll down the Champs de Elysee . 

I become hysterical, reflecting on Camus' absurdity of life. How appropriate, speeding [ crashing] through the street  of Paris at night.

I finally make my way back to the club. As a reward for my efforts, I get to stroll around backstage amongst the topless, g-string clad dancers but I can't get Michelle Dachss out of my mind. Oh to have had her, Nasreen, and Flora topless in a safe house in the African wilderness. Sigh...I would have told the Jackal to keep his fekkin diamonds and to piss off.

Yet... I digress. Apparently I passed out from the Absinthe and had a dream about the past....

It's on to Germany and the big race. I'm supposed to drive Jules to the hotel in Saarbrucken but I am distracted by this latex/leather clad Dominatrix Nazi chic I keep seeing on the streets. I can't take it anymore. I have to stop and talk to her.

Jules isn't pleased and encourages me to get back in the car. Alas, the Nazi chic just keeps walking. Open world, my a$$.

"Ooops...sorry!" I've run over a couple dozen Saarbrucken residents in my brief time in Germany. At least I'm killing Germans now...but the war hasn't started. Holy sh!$e! Did I start the fekkin war?

Jules has a really hot sister, Veronique, but I suspect she is a Lesbian as she seems immune to my Irish charms. We are enjoying a few pre-race drinks at the bar when my nemesis, the evil German race car driver struts in with his gay matching uniform-clad lackeys in tow.

A fight ensues. I still can't fight for sh!$e. What the Hell use is an Irish race car driver who can't drive nor handle himself in a Pub fight? Are you sure I'm not really French?

The bar tender calls neun eins eins and the cops' response time is amazing. By the time Jules and I escape the bar, we are surrounded. Luckily Skylar showed up with her big boobs and hot car and we made an escape through the streets of Saarbrucken.

Jules, Skylar, and I enjoy some inane conversation as we are shredded by gunfire and our blood coats the rear of her sports car. The map is all red again...or perhaps it is just coated in my blood.

"It looks like I've sprung a leak."

I'm hysterical again.

I give up on the streets and drive off the road. Suddenly...all is forgiven and it is quiet. I limp Skylar's  smoking, bullet-riddled, and blood soaked car non-chalantly through a German checkpoint and back to the hotel where Skylar and I engage in some kinky knife foreplay before shagging our brains out.

The following morning I somehow manage to be competitive in the big race but come in second as my nemesis shoots out my tires as I am close to passing him in the final stretch of the race. I am shocked and dismayed.

After the race, Jules and I follow my nemesis to a mysterious compound on the outskirts of Saarbruken. We almost lost him as I once again was distracted by Nazi Dominatrixes who seem to wander the streets of Sarrbrucken in great numbers.

We climb the fence to the compound and I have to stop.

Fek this sh!$e. 

I want to go back to Paris and hang out back stage with the nude dancers and listen to jazz.

I really miss Africa. As The Jackal said, "Africa wins again."   

[Fiach]

great read! maybe you should have voiced the character :)

But what do you think of the game fragger ?

[eor123]

Between the lines of what I wrote are my unhappiness with the driving and melee controls -- and the the game in general. 

I'll admit to not being great at handling a controller and one of the reasons I prefer FPS's the relative simplicity of their controller interfaces. However, I noticed in a couple of reviews that more competent gamers than I have made similar observations about driving and melee controls.

The nude girls are attractive and the ambient music is great but otherwise, this is really a goofy game inhabited by poorly portrayed stereotypical characters who seem disconnected from the realities of their environment, IMO.

When you are getting shot to Hell in a game and your car is on fire, you shouldn't be engaged in a casual conversation with other characters.  ;D

It's been a long time since I played "Grand Theft Auto" but Saboteur seems like a version of GTA with a little more substance. 

I don't know if I'll play any more of it or not.

I'm stuck inside today and pretty bored so I may continue on a bit further and see if it grows on me.

[Fiach]

Yeah thats the general consenus here, I suppose when a game come with free nipple dlc, you have to treat it with caution :)

[eor123]

Yeah thats the general consenus here, I suppose when a game come with free nipple dlc, you have to treat it with caution :)

It wasn't free in my case.

When I entered the code, I got the " Code has already been used " message, even though I purchased the game new and it had never been opened. Hacked--apparently.

So I went to the XBox store and bought more points.

I've played a little more today and come to the conclusion that I really don't like it. Those were some expensive cartoon nipples, but still quite a bit cheaper than others I've bought over the years.  ;D

[PZ]

Thanks for the detailed impressions - because I like the WWII genre, I was thinking about this one, but now I know to do more in depth research to determine if it is a game that I'll be able to enjoy (i.e., worth purchasing)

[Art Blade]

rather explicit language, but a rather good read too, eor123. I noticed some irony in your telling which made me grin, and the comments about driving a car that is on fire and becoming hysterical, "reflecting on Camus' absurdity of life" while being shot at or mowing down pedestrians or lamp poles were quite enjoyable  ;D

I've seen the game sit on the shelf of my local games shop but reading the back side made me put it back. I felt that the game might erm, lack something. Maybe the controls of a PC aren't that bad, and like PZ I'd need more information.  :)

[mmosu]

The trailer for this game had caught my eye earlier last year.  I had thought it looked interesting but after reading what's written here, sounds like a cross between a poor immitation of a Hitman game and Grand Theft Auto.  IGN gave it a 7.5/10 and called it "rough around the edges".  I usually find my tastes fairly in line with theirs (still trust you guys here more), so it's not looking like I'll be visiting Paris this year . . .

[Art Blade]

FYI
I've split the topic here, regarding nicknames, confusion etc you can read on here :)
Thank you

[RedRaven]

Picked this title up at last on tuesday (something to play until friday's release of "Call of Pripyat").
  FIRST IMPRESSIONS and REVIEW
After eventually getting round to purchasing "The Saboteur" I got straight home to get it installed and working, all nice and easy.
The game starts with a cut scene of you sat in a Burlesque bar in Nazi occupied Paris. After a few minutes your in control of your character and on your first mission. During this time (which is basically a tutorial without appearing to be a tutorial) your accompanied by a friendly NPC.

It gets straight to the point of the game, your objective being the destruction of a fuel depot. A few prompts pop up instructing you on how to Drive, Shoot, Climb buildings and use phone cables as zip lines, oh and of course blowing things up.

Then you are treated to a flash back of three months ago, this is a good mix of cut scenes (to build the story side of the game, and it explains your reasons for being an Irish driver in war time Paris), and player controlled actions. Here you get your first taste of racing too. There are some beautiful 1930's - 1940's race cars. After a race and a little more action your back to the main setting of the game 3 months later in Paris.

Now the game begins in earnest with a mission or two for for your resistance contacts before the free-play options become available. And OMG there a tons of free-play targets (each white diamond on the map below is a target you can destroy in your bid to free Paris from occupation). You but maps from the underground that reveal the targets, there are 5 to get, so far I have just one

[smg id=1932]

The map above is only a part of the game environment, below is the entire area.

[smg id=1933]

As you can see its pretty big.

  My current game is at 23% of the mission complete, this is after 9 prologue and 4 act One missions.In Paris area one I have hit 39 of 321 freeplay targets, this is only 2% on my stats sheet !
Free play targets are many and varied. Ranging from Sniper towers, Propoganda speakers, Generals, Radar stations, Search lights and many more.
Taking out these targets goes towards the liberation of Paris and as an area is freed of some of its occupational forces it becomes colour. Areas still under Nazi control being in black and white (which is a very nice touch and not only looks good, but adds to that feeling of being all alone in hostile territory. You also earn contraband for destroying targets, this is the currency of Saboteur, and you use it at various Weapons smugglers and Mechanics that become unlocked at various places through out the city as the game progresses. There is a good choice of weapons and vehicles to be bought from dealers or taken from dead soldiers.

Perks are another nifty side of the game. By performing certain actions a specified number of times you can unlock perks, these are split into 10 categories, each split into 3 levels - Bronze, Silver and Gold. Each perk you achieve unlocks something for you to use, from extra skills to to new vehicles and ammo capacities.

[smg id=1934]

In terms of how the game plays, fantastic!Whilst not a fan of 3rd person games after an hour or so I had got used to both the perspective and controls.Then I really got into it, the tongue in cheek and slightly smutty humour adds some comic relief. The environment, whilst not photo-realistic is well done. There are plenty of people walking the streets and although you can not interact with them that does not stop them from saying a few words as you pass by.
The stealth side of the game is pretty good too, if you kill a soldier with your hands and don't get seen you can use his uniform to walk around in and unless stood within a couple of feet the other soldiers will ignore you, but you still have to be careful around Gestapo agents who will spot your deception from across the street. If you get spotted your disguise is lost instantly.
In disguise or not if you are seen committing an act of Sabotage or start shooting in the open you will be spotted and in a few seconds of that a Nazi will sound the alarm. This will alert all nearby enemies of your location, and they will come running so unless you want their attention Stealth becomes very important. Climbing up to the roof tops to get a good sniping position is just one way to prolong your ability to act in the immediate area. The alarms range from level 1 to level 5, the higher the alarm status the larger the area it covers (so far have only experienced a level 3 alarm, and that took some running to get clear of).
To aid you in all of this you get a mini-map in the bottom left of the screen, around that is a ring that tells you how suspicious you appear and if spotted what level of Alarm you are at. It also marks all near by Nazi soldiers and Vehicle's as well as mission markers, friendly NPC's and hiding spots.

In the Images below you can see the different levels of alarm, ranging from normal (1), showing near bu enemies (2). The partial yellow ring shows how close to an alarm being sounded you are (3), and when its red what level the alarm is (4).

[smg id=1935]

In 4 and 5 you can see a red shadow centred on you, this shows the are of the alarm, the higher the alarm status the larger the area (6). As well as ground based enemies there are also zeppelin (7) that patrol the skies. Escaping and clearing the alarm status is just a case of getting out of the red shadow (8).

[smg id=1936]

Its always a gamble with a new game, for me they will always get compared to the likes of Farcry 2 and Stalker. But I'm really impressed with The Saboteur. Its open world is well thought out, you can achieve success in your tasks pretty much any way you choose and both the enemy A.I. and civillian A.I. adds a lot of character to the game. It has a good mix of action, stealth and humour, and so far the story line is good and does not restrict the free-play. It has kept me happily busy and engrossed for a few days now and I have barely scratched the surface.Worth playing, even though there are many higher profile games out there at the moment, and due on the market soon this is certainly a game I will keep playing.

Any way, I've gone on for long enough.  ;D

[JRD]

Great review Red... it sure looks like a game I`d like to play.
You said some magic words there... open world (of course), missions can be accomplished pretty much the way you want, Drive, Shoot; Climb buildings and use phone cables as zip lines, oh and of course blowing things up; 321 freeplay targets

Excellent, my friend... I`ll keep my eyes peeled  :-X

[PZ]

That was an outstanding review of the game play. Red - concise but full of useful information.  As JRD wrote, the key words "open world" immediately capture my attention.  There have been a couple of negative reviews, but it is good to see the other side of the fence as well.

Good job - I wish that we had more reviews like the one you just wrote (and others have posted about other games - we could then organize then into some kind of article with links so there would one stop shopping for game reviews!  :-X

[RedRaven]

321 free-play targets in Paris Area 1! The stats sheet lists 15 areas and in total they contain 1399 targets. Yes thats 1399 !. Area 1 has the most at 321, and the least is 8. But 5 of them are over 100. Won't know till I get there but it seems as you get closer to the end of the games Story the areas are smaller so contain less targets.
  The targets themselves are not all things to kill or destroy ( though most are ;D ). There are also postcards to collect and scenic spots to visit, as well as the odd supply crate.

Still, clearing the entire map of white diamonds and bringing colour to Paris is a good incentive to get all 100% found and dealt with.