Operation Darkness X360
Product Details
Features
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
WWII Strategy RPG with Werewolves, Vampires, and Zombies!
Enter an alternate WWII‐era world where history and fantasy collide. Leading an army of ruthless officers and unearthly creatures, Adolf Hitler marches through Europe, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. With his powers on the rise and his armies on the move, it falls on you and your team of elite soldiers to cut deep into the heart of the Third Reich and strike a fatal blow to Hitler’s ever‐growing legion of evil.
Customer Reviews
Best. Concept. Ever.
"Operation Darkness" is the first Japanese strategic role-playing game (JSRPG) to arrive on a Microsoft console and I say not a moment too soon. After all, Final Fantasy Tactics is one of my favorite games of all time and OD is very similar in gameplay to that groundbreaking gem. The story takes place during World War II with your main character being wounded in battle. He receives an emergency blood transfusion from a British special forces officer who shows up just in time. You join the unit known as The Wolf Pack and for a while, everything is as it should be; you find Nazis, you shoot Nazis, life is good. And so it goes until after one battle when zombies suddenly appear out of nowhere. Promises of forthcoming explanations keep you going until a friggin' vampire shows up and starts demolishing everyone. So your commanding officer -who was so generous as to have given his own blood for your transfusion- transforms into a werewolf and tosses the bloodsucker into the air as the anime hottie you have a crush on blasts him in mid-air with a fireball from her hand. Alrighty then. "Operation Darkness" mixes and melds a wonderful historically accurate account of the greatest of all wars with supernatural horror aspects and presents it as a solid JSRPG video game. These are a few of my favorite things.
Now, if you've read the professional reviews for this game you are thinking, "Hey, man, didn't this get like a 40 out of 100 on Metacritic?". Yes. Yes it did. But the professional reviews are from the standpoint of video game industry insiders who are more concerned about a game's programming, graphics, and technical proficiency then they are it's capacity to entertain. Screw that. Lost Odyssey garnered some decent scores and it has endless loading screens, outdated gameplay, limited voice-acting, technical issues, AND it needed four discs to do it; all for a few awesome-looking cutscenes. This is a stripped-down game by comparison that focuses on it's key aspects well and does away with endless cutscenes and the loading screens that go with them in favor of a solid fully-voiced story often (well) told with non-animated characters. It may be last-gen, but it is still effective.
Now let me give you full disclosure about what IS wrong with OD. First, foremost, and most flagrantly there is the in-battle camera. Atlus tried somethinga little different and went for a up-close-and-personal view reminiscent of a third-person shooter rather than the standard eagle's eye-view typical of most strategy games. This succeeds in making the battle seem more in your face and personal, but the fact that you often can't line up your shots because there is a tree or building blocking your view from behind your character is awful at times. It's not as bad as some reviewers would have you believe once you get used to it (the mini-map is your friend), but it is a fault nonetheless. Next, you get most of the best skills early in the game and every character gets the same selection to choose from. So basically, while the characters are customizable, you'll more than likely have most of them with the same stat boosts for most of the game. The good is that those skills level up according to how you play the game with each character and that's very cool. The fact that most of your characters can die permanent deaths puts a big damper on this game as well. There are no revival items and only one character (who CAN die) has magic to bring them back. Two of the characters look similar so at one point I wasn't even aware that one had died until after the hour+ battle was done so I had to restart because who the hell wants to play an RPG without a major character's dialogue? Silly.
This game is hardcore and unforgiving. One-shot kills abound and the fact that the 100% required feature of having a mortally wounded soldier heal themselves with items from their personal inventory is a skill that takes a space away from the other skills I could be equipping is a headache. You are typically (over)matched against a group of nearly- indestructible tanks and an army of soldiers where you have to run and hide until you can bring your slow-moving bazooka troops to bear. Then, out of ammo, out of healing items, and feeling good about yourself after an hour or so of pitched battle, the game tosses another large volley of fresh troops and/or tanks at you in an obvious attempt to make you throw your controller at the screen. However, this does make for a real feeling of accomplishment when you send those Jerrys packing. Each move you make must be carefully planned, each attack carefully weighed for risk, and skillful strategizing is usually rewarded with success. In spite of it's issues, this is a great strategy game.
As well as many historical figures, there are some horror icons that make appearances as well. Jack The Ripper is particularly awesome in his role and vampire legend Carmilla turns up leading the supernatural Nazi forces. One of your comrades-in-arms is a bespectacled Re-Animator known as Herbert East. I KNEW that guy's needle-brandishing pose looked familiar! So cool. You even get a sword-swinging Van Helsing descendant on your team. Add plenty more interesting characters and horror homages to that pile. The story is solid and it such that it never fails to point out that not all Germans were Nazis and many actually opposed Hitler. In fact, your aforementioned love interest is a German citizen, driving the point home. And there you are with your German-hating ways. For shame. I'll take this over 90% of what's out there any day of the week, last-gen or not.
"Operation Darkness" is a great game IF YOU ARE A FAN OF THE GENRE. If you are not, the camera will drive you nuts, the graphics will not impress you, the presentation will strike you as PSP-worthy, and you will not have a good time. But if you read what I wrote and said "hell yeah!" then download the free demo from Xbox Live. It's a level where the camera is at it's worst so if you can enjoy that particular battle than this game is all about you. There is nothing else like this on a current console and I highly recommend it to true strategy game aficionados who are into WWII history and horror films.
True Gem with Flaws..
This is probably one of those games that will be a hit or miss depending on who's playing the game. Some will enjoy it immensely while others hate it. I saw a lot of admirers and haters out there for this game so thought I'd throw in my two cents. Personally, I really enjoyed this game. Yes, the camera can be aweful at times but once you get used to it it's not that bad; it just could have been better. And no, the graphics are not PS2 era (as some review that I read tried to point out). While it may not push the Xbox 360 graphical capabilities over the limits it is by far cleaner, sharper, and simply better than games on PS2 can do (Load up another strategy game from the PS2 saga like Disgaea and do the actual comparison.. you may be shocked), especially when viewed in HD and a nice big TV. This game's graphics is no Gears of War by any means but it still does the job.
Getting back on the track, this game can be a killer, in good ways and bad. It is rather unforgiving. The death of regular members can be permanent, and death of certain characters in mid-mission can simply end the game on the spot without giving you a chance to try to revive him/her. Pacing can be uneven, from slow to mind numbingly fast when unexpected enemy reinforcements pop up right behind you (and there's a lot). But some people like that kind of surprise and the whole shift-your-tactic-on-the-go thing. I think it makes for a better and more intense strategy game. The theme of the game is very unique as well (WWII, Nazis, Zombies, Werewolves? count me in), the character profiles very interesting (historical appearances from many you'll recognize), and a great and realistic selection of weapons that you'll have to figure in and utilize in order to come out ahead against some overwhelming odds.
To conclude, if you give this game a chance it will tie up hard-core strategy gamers/perfectionists happily for hours to come, but may give casual gamers an urge to grab their controllers and throw it at the screen. As for me, with lack of decent strategy games coming out as of late this game has done wonders in filling in the shoes. Now back to collecting those damn Valhalla reports..
Operation Darkness Review
The mixed reviews for this game are certainly justifiable. Due to the narrow scope of the reviews here on Amazon I felt it was my personal responsibility to explain this game in the detail it deserves. Please allow me to summarize what I feel are the games strengths and weaknesses.
"Operation Darkness" features an excellent thematic concept that will resonate with most rpg players, namely "sci fi meets camp 1940's horror, set during WW2". Yes there are nazis, nazi vampires, special agent werewolves and nazi zombies, all pulled together by a well executed and thoughtful story set during WW2. Everyone agrees this is cool yes? Ok moving on...
The story is presented in similar fashion to squarenix's "Front Mission 4". If you have not played that game basically all story segments shown between playable sequences are displayed in a visual "audio book" format where a character speaks and a picture of them is shown, then when the next character responds a picture of that character pops up. Also there is lots of authentic WW2 footage to contextualize the story/progression of the war, very neat. This format works well for me, the story and voice acting are quite good, the footage lends an air of authenticity that helps to draw you into the idea that you really are part of a special unit during WW2. The "anime" esque panels that accompany the dialogue are exceptionally well crafted, beautiful. There are a few 3-D cutscenes, utilizing the ingame rendering, so don't expect any full motion, super gloss Final Fantasy esque cutscenes. And while we are on the subject of visuals, allow me to give my opinion on the graphics and overall thematic design. First off I feel the costumes, and artistic design of the characters all look just fantastic; from the "gaudi psychic spell wielding nazis" to the "prada coat wearing Jack the Ripper", the characters look great and are straight out of a top notch anime feature. Pay no attention to that one star review here on Amazon that states this game looks psone, simply not true. Granted the textures are not extremely detailed/life like, they are clean and look MUCH better than the best of ps2/xbox. Though some of the levels are bland/boring looking (forests/deserts and the like), there are many levels that look just great (1940's european cities, enemy compounds etc).
Which brings me to the mechanics of gameplay and strategy, which is where this game shines so very bright at times, and at other times will leave you feeling quite frustrated.
If you do not know by now this title is is a "strategy rpg", or srpg for short. Unlike traditional Japanese rpgs, or jrpg for short, like "Lost Odyssey" where your characters are fixed in place during combat, in a srpg your characters are free to move/attack according to a grid format. Being that your characters are free to move you must give very careful thought to the manner in which you engage in combat, move along the grid, use cover, and most especially support your entire unit. This game demands allot of careful thought to be successful, and even then you are probably going to spend allot of time viewing the "Game Over" screen. This is due to many factors which frustrated me more than anything, namely extremely limited access to health revival (detailed later) and if certain characters die mid battle it is Game Over.
Perhaps "my tactics" are not as solid as I would like to think, though I have played other games of the genre to successful results. Not here, you can be "whooping butt", then a minute later have a bunch of additional bad guys show up from a position/location that you absolutely can not anticipate, and have them defeat you in no time. All this means is that you basically have to lose allot and memorize the sequence of reinforcements before you can win at the later levels (basically everything after level 7, or hour 14). Simply put you can have solid early/mid mission tactics, then have a tank show up and simply blow you away, some will respond to this and say "ok now I know how to prepare for that for next time", and other gamers will scream "I just wasted an hour! NOT FAIR!!" Personally I responded both ways. And continued playing, many will just say "how could I possibly have won there?" and not play again due to the feelings of "frustration/unfairness". So if you are ok with "replaying" a 30min-1hr battle then you will reach some emotional highpoints Operation Darkness.
When "things come together", these moments are VERY exciting. And by exciting I mean pure unadulterated rpg fun, there are times where the strategy is coming together, and the group execution flows along just right, you are having tons of fun...that is until you get bazooka rounded to a central character, , die and it is INSTANTLY game over (I go into greater detail about how health, death and revival are extremely out of balance in Operation Darkness below). So as a game it presents some of the highest of highs, and lowest of lows. More emotional gamers will be tested.
From a mechanics standpoint there are some very interesting features which set this game apart from other srpg's, features that must be experimented with, understood, and mastered if you want to win. Unlike most rpgs you can not simply attack/heal your way through this game. You must utilize the distinct tactical actions available. There are three unique and distinct tactic options the game allows you to use outside of the normal "attack, special attack, magic attack, defend, move, item etc." usage options. These three unique action options are titled, "Cover Attack, Cover Ambush, and Cover Move". I will explain the three in detail, though understanding these options will give you a better sense of where I feel Operation Darkness does some new things and largely succeeds. The first "Cover Move", is where you define a click and drag selection on the grid where if an enemy enters that selected quadrant anytime during combat your character will move to a previously selected position. This can be very effective to have a character counter to the right position to successfully defend an enemy advance, excellent mechanic. The "Cover Attack/Ambush" options function similarly where your character will automatically attack within a circular range (the range is defined by the weapon you select, rifles have longer range, sub machine guns shorter range), so if any enemy moves or attacks from within that range your character will attack automatically, REGARDLESS of whether or not it is that characters turn. This tactic works very well against the low hp zombies, its great to see them go down with one shot, you feel like your strategy is working out as, "hey I am making kills and its not even my turn!". Though later in the game you can have 2 characters successfully "cover ambush" attack a moving infantry soldier, one with a sniper rifle and another with a mid range machine gun, to not have the troop go down...then survive to attack on another turn and deal lots of damage. The game is designed purposefully where "cover ambush/attack" attacks deal less damage than a turn specific "attack" choice, though when dealing with LOTS of enemies (you are often outnumbered three to one, or more) it sucks that you can not get get a single kill with two successful attacks against a single foe. This is not always the case, though often is. These cover mechanics MUST be used if you want to have any hope of victory, basically half or more of the characters in your party will be cover attacking/ambushing (and effectively running on autopilot, the game often feels like it is playing itself). You will probably take control of the other members of your party to move/attack specific "high priority" targets (i.e. the soldier with the BIG machine gun needs to be taken out IMMEDIATELY, and not the zombie with the luger pistol). Also if the moving/attacking enemies are pushing the limits of the range of your characters weapon they will miss, allot, I do not think I have played a rpg where there is so much "miss" results. Now you might be thinking, "well you must be ambushing from too far away!". However the level designs "suggest" specific engagement/defense positions (and there are some random ones, based on where you destroy tanks/vehicles which can be used as cover, random and neat), and most of the time you will be "covering" or attacking from these positions, and miss, again very often. As the enemy does its fair share of camping out and not advancing into your "cover ambush zone". This is frustrating. If you get too close to a group of enemies you can pretty much kiss that character goodbye, as you are always outnumbered you will be turned in to mince meat, melee attacks, though available I do not see how they could ever be used effectively in this game beyond the first few levels. There are no hp heavy "tanks" in this game (by tanks I mean a character who can absorb allot of damage), everyone is capable of death within a single turn if in the wrong position, or the AI decides to gang up on that particular character. In effect I have found most of the time you are defending positions, and making risky calculated attacks. Overall I found this style of play mostly enjoyable, though somewhat confining.
Also another thing that left me scratching my head is that once you move your character to a specific square you can not undo the movement, even if you have not attacked yet. Every srpg I have played allows you to undo a movement if you have not yet attacked, because most of the time you will not be sure if the ensuing attack will reach a target until you have moved. Why didn't the developers allow you to undo a move if you have not yet attacked/used an item etc? I can not answer this question, though it is frustrating to use a valuable, and often precious, movement/turn to realize that you are either out of range from a target, or in a position where you can not attack.
Moving on, I have read allot of complaints about the camera (also this game does not allow you to invert the camera/x-axis, I had to compensate for a style that I am not comfortable with, not a huge deal as you control the camera when action is "frozen", though it is still awkward controlling a camera not in ones preferred style, what is this 1996? Simply put ALL games that utilize a camera should offer camera control options). Furthermore, sometimes the camera goes and focuses on something unrelated to your attack, though this is a seldom occurrence it is still disrupts the rhythm of the game, it says "GLITCH" loud and clear. Though the constant ranting in most reviews of "the camera is horrible" is largely unwarranted, I am 99% of the time able to effectively use the camera to properly asses and make a decision.
Another element of the game that frustrated me was both the lack of inventory/item access during battle, and the pre battle inventory management layout itself. I will explain both in detail. First, when managing your inventory you have to endlessly scroll through the same items to get to the item you are looking for, for example, instead of showing "Medical Kit x 19", you have to scroll through 19 occurrences of the same item in the list, and all the other repeated items, to get to the one you are looking for. Similar to not being able to define the camera control, this was another frustrating and lazy minded design flaw that resulted in lots more time than necessary scrolling through inventory. Having 75+ items in my inventory it takes FOREVER to equip the 10+ member party pre battle. Thankfully you only have to do this once before battle, then save and you are good until the next pre battle (though you will have to endure some 2-5 min or so un-skipable bre battle cutscenes).
Next, before you go into a battle you can only equip 5 items, definitely 3 out of the five slots will be used for health recharge, and the other two for ammo recharge. There are other items that have effects on enemies like "Defense Down" etc (though not many), though being that most enemies are capable of devastating attacks that bring you down to zero hp, proper health allocation is an absolute must, you can not spare a health recharge for some other limited application effect driven item. Which in turn narrows the scope of gameplay because there is so much emphasis on health, and few chances to use the other items.
Now onto the most glaring flaw of Operation Darkness. If a main character dies mid battle it is game over! No chance for revive, just game over. As you will learn to work around this, and in turn keep your game ending characters in the back "covering" you don't really use them as much for "risky" moves because if it is unsuccessful and they die it is game over, hence not worth the risk. And because they are in the back defending use of their "special powers" is usually not applicable as you are usually out of range to use them. Furthermore the "special powers" your characters have can ONLY be used prior to movement, if you move to get within range of an enemy the option to use a more powerful attack will not be available until your next turn. Does not sound like a big deal but mid battle it is. To compensate for this you will most likely equip every single member in your unit with a Bazooka, which requires every character to use limited item space to equip ammo for it. This bothered me on a "deeper level" because it results in all your characters sort of feeling the same when it comes to attacks, EVERYONE must have a bazooka. And if all your characters are firing bazooka rounds this results in a generic sense of class distinction, where a werewolf feels no different from a soldier. Granted my feelings may shift on this as later in the game as more abilities and powers are acquired through leveling up.
I try not to say in my reviews that "this game would have been so much better if....", as it is a purely subjective thing to say...though it would have been sooooooo much better if there were some cool weapons specific to the classes, you know weapons out of a horror movie...battle axes, enormous medieval swords, some kind of "sci-fi" energy weapons for the re-animator character, etc...instead everyone uses the same real life weapons between all classes (if this is different later in the game please let me know). Outside of the very limited use "magic" based special attacks , the weapons are all real life WW2, boring.
Please allow me to bring the focus back to inventory access for a moment, if I have gone through all my health after being ganged up on by multiple enemies (often times 2 out of 3 health recharges will be used in a single ROUND of enemy combat), I should be able to use a turn to pull more health into my characters inventory, this is not allowed. If you are mid battle and out of health your only hope is to survive, or find some health on a dead nazi. A permanent death of a MAJOR character is also a potential result unless revived. Granted there is ONE character out of your 10+ party who can revive dead characters mid battle (though no hp recovery spells at this point), so if you are lucky you might be in a position to revive a fallen comrade, though if it is lights out for a "story" character, no chance to revive, game over. Poor design.
It is confusing why heal spells, or inventory access mid battle, is not available once the game reaches such punishing levels of difficulty. Furthermore, success in battle depends largely on memorization of when and where enemies appear and LUCK. Usually not a result of perfection of tactics. Which is a shame because the "cover based" tactical innovations present in "Operation Darkness" are exciting and largely innovative.
In summation I don't think I have ever played a game and had such mixed feelings of both positive and negative and kept playing. For you it will most likely come down to if you can overlook the games flaws and appreciate its positives. All its flaws aside I still felt very engaged by this title and am having allot of fun amidst the frustration. Due to the limited selection of rpg's on the Xbox 360 I would recommend this game to the "serious gamer" at the below $20 price. Not for the easily discouraged or overly emotional.
Thanks for reading, comments welcomed!
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