The main storyline of the game closely resembles the canons of a classic action movie
GTA goes to the jungle
Boiling Point has certainly undergone the influence of GTA 3 in its supporting structure: as in the title made in Rockstar Games, here too we will have total freedom of action in the over 625 square kilometers that build the vast gaming environment (and we will never have any loading that blocks the action ... but some indigestible shots in the moments when the hard disk blends) with the possibility of using a really high number of vehicles (25 to be precise) starting with cars, vehicles for water and through the air, up to a very wild tank. But the Deep Shadows programmers have a higher civic sense since to bring the various trabiccoli, it will be necessary to take various licenses (a sort of very useful tutorial to become familiar with the peculiar characteristics of airplanes, motorboats etc.). As in GTA then, in addition to the main mission (that is to save Meyers' daughter and I assure you that the unexpected will be the order of the second) we will be able to embark on many other secondary subquests able to bring the gaming experience to peaks of longevity really impressive, as well as essential to obtain the money necessary to buy upgrades for weapons, vehicles etc.
Another point of contact with GTA will be the relationship with the factions on the field: these will not only be useful for obtaining various missions but diplomacy in some cases will be essential to have good allies in particular circumstances. This aspect, however, has been decidedly little taken care of by the programmers since the passage of relations from conflictual to friendly will take place in a decidedly approximate and careless way. In practice, a positive or negative action towards the faction cancels the previous situation in an instant and this can sometimes happen in a fortuitous way, for example by accidentally entering a jungle area controlled by the rebels without having the faintest idea (hardly the guerrillas put up signs to inform them of their presence ...). In this way, everything that could have been a management component is transformed into a sequence of mechanical and sometimes even involuntary changes.
The title of the Deep Shadows programmers is proposed with a very developed role-playing soul
Role play inside
Boiling Point, however, is by no means a GTA clone, far from it since it has many peculiar elements. In addition to the fact that it tends to be an FPS, the title of the Deep Shadows programmers is proposed with a very developed role-playing soul starting from the many multiple choice dialogues that will directly influence the unfolding of events, to then move on to to the management of our equipment which takes up very closely the archetypes of role playing. The pesos will in fact be fundamental for acquiring means and weapons but will also become indispensable in certain situations to have the information necessary for our mission. So do not be surprised if you find yourself doing taxi drivers or traders to get a bit of "dineiro". It therefore becomes essential to rummage through the inventories of the gringos that we will take out and take all the objects that may be useful to us later.
But where is the fun?
As you can understand, we are faced with a very ambitious game structure that succeeds in its intentions since it has proved capable of making us feel the sensation of truly being in a complete and living microcosm even beyond our presence. Therefore, if, at the “ontological” level, Boiling Point takes our blessing, the same cannot be said for the more interactive and playful aspect: here the fiasco by the Deep Shadows programmers is absolutely colossal. It is also difficult to start listing the defects present in BP: one could start from the impressive amount of graphic bugs (but which also fall on the interactive component), from a damage calculation system that has nothing to do with Soldiers of Fortune 2 and turns out to be absolutely careless. But, and this is the deleterious aspect, it is difficult to have fun playing Boiling Point in the non-RPG parts: driving the vehicles turns out to be a deadly bore and there will be sections in which we will have to do tens and tens of kilometers without doing anything but press the forward arrow (and be careful not to break the vehicle: there is no way to find an alternative solution to walking for hours other than to commit suicide and wake up treated in the hospital but with no money and almost empty inventory!). Even in the most typically FPS parts, the comparison with a decent shooter sees Boiling Point come out absolutely in pieces: the game always seems to be on the borderline between simulative ambitions and arcade approach without however proving to have a very specific nature but above all unable to soar. qualitatively in no time. Not to mention artificial intelligence of the lowest value, capable of surprising us only when the enemies are absolutely hidden from our view (and from a playful point of view, it is certainly not pleasant ...).
The game always seems to be on the borderline between simulation ambitions and arcade approach without however proving to have a very specific nature but above all unable to stand out qualitatively at any time
AAA: Desperately looking for stable frame rates
As for the technical aspect, Boiling Point offers us joys and sorrows. Undoubtedly, from a quantitative point of view, BP is impressive: I am not referring only to the size of the immense map, but also to the amount of elements on the screen with a horizon that is not only very distant but capable of presenting many objects even at a very distant distance. Particular attention was then paid to the creation of the vegetation and in this respect BP does not look bad with any title on the market today, Far Cry included. The special graphic effects are equally of the highest quality as well as the polygonal construction of the various buildings in the villages where we will find ourselves. On the other hand, however, we must unfortunately also note a mediocre visual realization of the characters (with the poor actor Vosloo who in the digital version seems to have gained 20 kilos) and of the means that show a rather low aesthetic level. But even more serious is the frame rate problem: despite the test system having much higher characteristics than the recommended hardware specifications, despite the graphic parameters decided by the auto setting have not been changed, the frame rate proved unstable in some situations for reasons not easily understood since they were not moments with many characters and action on screen. The only way to have a fluidity almost never questioned was to lower the detail and the video resolution by a lot but with truly abject visual results.
Odi et amo also for the sound: from the moment of the installation we will be accompanied by a Latin rock-pop style "From Sunset to Dawn" which is sublime suited to the atmosphere of the game. The dubbing of the characters is of a very high quality, absolutely worthy of a feature film and also all the sound effects present prove to be very convincing. Too bad also having to note sound bugs with music sampled at a very low frequency, frequent asynchrony between the speech and the lip movement of the characters and a rather abstruse choice in starting the songs when we are on board a car.
despite the test system having much higher characteristics than the recommended hardware specifications, despite the graphic parameters decided by the auto setting have not been changed, the frame rate proved unstable in some situations for reasons not easily understood
A great missed opportunity. This is the comment in a nutshell for Boiling Point. If on paper, the new Atari production could have given a hard time to the Grand Theft Auto series itself thanks to the implementation of a greater RPG component in a very free structure similar to the goose that lays golden eggs by Rockstar Games, the programmers of Deep Shadows failed to forge their creature with sufficiently valid and engaging gameplay, lacking in terms of artificial intelligence, interaction with the environment and the playful component in the strict sense. As if that were not enough, there is no lack of gross graphic bugs that also undermine its aesthetic credibility: do not be surprised then if some means will go against every law of physics or various enemies will get stuck with the walls and doors of the buildings. Let's not talk about the frame-rate, unstable even on very powerful machines and fluctuating at times for reasons not easily understood. Despite all these elements listed above, Boiling Point deserves a very stunted sufficiency given that it presents the best pulsating and living virtual microcosm that has been seen in a videogame production, capable of immersing the player until the listed defects become all too evident and annoying. The news on the release of various patches that will fill the shortcomings of Boiling Point are chasing: we hope that at least in part the title can be optimized since Deep Shadows had a masterpiece in his hands but perhaps the excessive pretentiousness of the Russian programmers has brought to the making of a giant with feet of clay.
- Pro:
- A living and pulsating microcosm like never before
- RPG component of excellent workmanship
- Very free and dynamic game structure
- Against:
- Insufficient gameplay
- Obvious and macroscopic graphic bugs
- Incorrigible frame-rate instability
Mixed boiled meat
The free structure of Grand Theft Auto, the depth of RPG-style Vampires or Deus Ex, a damage calculation system worthy of Soldiers of Fortune 2. There is no shortage of noteworthy quotes for Boiling Point, the Atari production made by Deep Shadows programmers and that has been heralded by the software house as a title capable of surprising and satisfying even the most demanding players. Could things have gone this way? Let's find out together ...
The main plot of the game closely resembles the canons of a classic action movie: mister Saul Meyers (who has the features of actor Arnold Vosloo seen in the role of Imothep in the first two episodes of the Mummy but also in Darkman 2 and 3) is a quiet retired ex mercenary who enjoys life after a rather adventurous existence. When everything seems to be going well, however, she receives a desperate call from her daughter, a professional assault journalist, who finds herself embroiled in a not-too-pleasant situation as she is kidnapped by an unspecified criminal organization in a nation that remembers. very close to Colombia (ie paramilitary groups, anti-government guerrillas, drug traffickers and the andante company…). In this chaotic background, Meyers will have to make his way and save his daughter: luckily for us our virtual alter ego is quite familiar with such situations ...
