The Kane Project 4
The Kane Project 4 is, well, a lot like most of the other games Master Raze has made.
Graphics:
The cutscenes are passable, and sometimes good. However, the gameplay boards are generally rather flat and lifeless. The streets of the city look rather like a typical dungeon, except with walls of big, blue blocks that are meant to represent rooftops, and the final battle looks particularly lackluster.
Writing:
Well, my expectations were pretty low here, and Master Raze met them. TKP4 is filled with flat situations and sophomoric humor so overstated as to make MY jokes look subtle - which is no mean feat. Its plotline manages to be stale yet maintain a charming incomprehensibility at times. Also, a proofreader would be welcome here.
But there is one good line about the habits of serial killers in movies...
Gameplay:
Many games have predictable plots, but Master Raze has managed to do the seemingly impossible. He has managed to combine a variety of different types of action, and yet still keep the entire game on a predictable track.
The reason for this is as follows: anybody who has played Master Raze's other games - and I know there are a few others of you out there - has seen all there is to see here, pretty much. There are one or two ideas he hasn't used before, but most of the game is very familiar.
I mean, what other author could possibly make you say:
"Okay, a break-in sequence is coming up, so that means I'll have to access some computers to open doors, sneak behind guards to break their necks, maybe hide from some cameras, and possibly get a password. Afterwards, I'll end up in a forest or jungle or something, pursued by animals that I really shouldn't kill, because I don't want to run out of ammo. There might be some fistfighting action, which basically amound to touching objects instead of shooting them. The objects might run away when I chase them while simultaneously decreasing my health."
It's not BAD gameplay, for the most part, but it's getting old fast.
Overall:
Effort definitely went into this on some level; all of those cutscenes and battles didn't come out of thin air. But it all feels suspiciously like a Mr. Potato Head approach to design; begin with a dull, plastic thing and add on the premade parts. This is very popular in Hollywood; I mean, TKP4 is AT LEAST as original as [insert latest buddy action movie here], but Raze could do a lot better.
I absolutley love this game! It is full of awesome engines and has a blend of every genre known to man. It rules!!!!! It is better than bloodline 1 OR 2 and is supreme over burglar and all the games in the world!!! I haven't even beat it but so far, the story rocks and the game play is addictive. This game will be blown into the world of the gods! If you will excuse me, I have to go play some more.
