As a game reviewer you see a lot of games that are based on good ideas, but fall short in the execution. Breakdown is one of those games. You have to give the designers credit for trying to make the game a true first person experience. Everything in the game takes place from your viewpoint to the point where even the cutscenes play out in front of your eyes. Throw a punch or kick and you’ll see your fist or foot swing across the screen. Pick up an item and you’ll see your hand reach down and grab it. Eat a ration bar and you’ll see your hands unwrap it and then bring it to your face as you take each bite. It’s as if the game camera was planted firmly in the middle of your forehead as every hit and knock down will send your head (and the game screen) spinning.

The person whose body you inhabit in Breakdown is one Derrick Cole, an elite warrior with an elite case of amnesia. You begin the game undergoing tests in a research laboratory, although you have no idea why and if the people directing you are friend or foe. Before long the lab is invaded by soldiers intent on killing you. In fact they come darn close to succeeding when a mysterious woman materializes in the room and makes quick work of the soldiers. The woman is Alex, someone you supposedly knew quite well in the past. With her at your side you must break out of the lab, determine your true identity, and put an end to the plans of a mysterious warrior race intent on world domination.

So far, so good, right? Well unfortunately Breakdown begins to break down as soon as you begin fighting your way out of the lab. First the controls are too sensitive and it can be tough to get the game to look in the direction that you want. The game designers probably realized that this does not make it easy to aim a weapon, so they added an automatic target lock system. Point the gun in the general vicinity of an enemy and pull the trigger and you’ll lock onto and automatically hit him. Not only does this eliminate the chance to take down an enemy more quickly with well-placed shots, it takes a lot of the challenge and fun out of combat. In addition, the gun will not always lock on the enemy that you would like it to and you may be stuck emptying your clip on an enemy in the background before you can shoot at an enemy right in front of you. To ensure that the target lock system really works, your enemies will move as little as possible. The AI of attackers in the game is not very good, and they often will charge forward and then stand in one place and fire. There is no coordination between your enemies either, they all seem determined to make solo head-on attacks. All of these factors combine to make the combat repetitive and monotonous, and as a result not much fun.

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