‘Fuse’: So Much Power And They Could Have Done More With It
Fuse was released May 28 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Here is what the critics had to say.
The premise of Fuse is that you play one of four special agents recruited by the CIA, a team called Overstrike 9, sent to stop the evil Raven Corporation from gaining access to an alien substance called Fuse. Fuse is a source of energy used in weaponry, and it’s what powers the equipment used by Overstrike 9.
Your team in Fuse each uses unique equipment. Dalton Brooks is an ex-mercenary with an attitude and an energy shield. Naya Deveraux used to work with her dad for Raven and uses a black hole gun. Isabelle Sinclair is a young and rebellious scientist with a touch of brilliance and a gun that turns victims to crystal for convenient shattering. Jacob Kimble is a temperamental detective with a crossbow that shoots fire.
The changing environments that the developer touted earlier are one of the highlights as one minute you’re in this intimidating, futuristic industrial setting and the next, you’re riding a gondola as it winds its way through hills and forests. Unfortunately, the game seems bland on the most part. Nothing really seems to pop out and make you notice.
The single-player aspects of Fuse make you wonder if this game wasn’t made specifically to be played with others, as the combat will more than challenge you without decent backup, and the friendly AI is about as useless as it is in most games. We’ve played BioShock Infinite, and the friendly AI in that game was actually helpful. The horde-like Echelon mode is all but impossible without at least a few leveled-up friends.
Fuse‘s attempt at a story doesn’t feel very fleshed out, as it hints at Fuse being what the terrorists are after, and then just turns into another kill-’em-all shooter. The alien race whose property Fuse is supposed to be are never seen, heard from, or spoken of – so why do they exist in this story at all?
All in all, Fuse is really a great game, but it fails in any way to stand out in the crowd. All this power, and they could have done a lot more with it.
What do you think of Fuse? Do you agree with the critics that it could have been more with all of its promise?
