Review: Inversion (360)

Gimmick game mechanics can be hit or miss. NeverDead received mixed reactions for its gameplay, and MindJack was destroyed by criticism. Inversion attempts to set itself apart with the use of gravity as a gameplay mechanic. Developed by Saber Interactive (known for TimeShift, Battle: Los Angeles, and for assisting with Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition) and published by Namco, Inversion is essentially Gears of War with anti-gravity mechanics and interesting physics. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Let’s find out.

Inversion starts off in your every day big city; everything is peaceful and idyllic…until the Lutadores invade. Little is known about the Lutadores…where they came from, why they have come, who they are… They are not, however, the only thing throwing the city into chaos. The city is going haywire because of random spots of zero gravity, resulting in floating cars and buildings, and areas where you yourself can float to travel. You are David Russel, a 28-year old cop. During the first day of the invasion/disaster, the Lutadores made a great impression on humanity by going after its children. Of course, David’s daughter has been taken, and as a parent, he fights to get her back.

Now that you’re pretty much caught up with the story, let’s get into Inversion’s gameplay. When I first started the game, I immediately felt like I was playing Gears of War. The controls were incredibly similar, which made them easy to grasp when it came to changing weapons, charging, going into cover, and playing the game in general. I’d say that this game, in the end, would be a poor man’s Gears of War, but it remains entertaining nonetheless. The story was fairly easy to predict, and it seems like the writers needed more time to sit back and come up with something deeper and more complex. The game definitely needed more polish before going out the door. The multiplayer community is also quite small. On occasion, you may be able to find some full lobbies, but for the most part, there haven’t been too many players online. If the game had been promoted more, perhaps there would be a larger community of players.

Inversion is a fun game, but it’s something I would definitely wait to purchase until the price drops. There isn’t enough of an online community to sustain long-term value, which is a shame, because the online multiplayer, when populated, is pretty fun. The single player campaign is decent, but it doesn’t really grab you in a way that I was hoping for. Gravity-controlling weapons are pretty badass, though, and the game’s action sequences make for some great battles.

Inversion was provided for review purposes. For more information on this title, please visit http://www.inversion.com/.