During 3 different decades you will live a dangerous climb to the Mafia power dome. Betrayals, murders, adjustments of accounts, pacts between 'families' ... Normal!
So to speak, MadeMan tells the story of a self-made man. Within this tale full of violence and truculent motivations in the purest style of the best black novels, there is a third-person action game that will transport us to our own scenarios in which a uprooted and problematic young person would move ... matoncillo neighborhood that little by little will go up the ladder of the most influential criminal organization in the history of the United States: The Mafia.
One of the great novelties presented by MadeMan is its particular narration. And it is that, instead of centering the story on a concrete act, the game develops over 30 years, giving in so much time a place for turns that will surprise both locals and strangers. Thus, our rebel will live from the horror of the Vietnam War, where our protagonist makes his first contact within the organization, until the Brooklyn of the 80s; we will also see our man grow and change his character throughout these three decades of profound changes.
All a narrative mime for a game that, in theory, does not go beyond the simple and direct playful methodology in the Max Payne style. Indeed, all phases of the program have been very careful in terms of setting to be an ever-changing adventure globally, taking care of its developers both the graphic treatment and the staging as well as sustaining from beginning to end a story well told and always surprising. Not in vain, the missions, the images, the characters ... everything is the work of David Fisher, a prestigious American novelist and journalist specializing in the Mafia (he has written more than a dozen BestSellers, among them Killer and Joey the Hitman: biography of a murderer).
And as if it were a macabre act of the Mafia, the story of MadeMan as a product is worth telling. The developers of the game, SilverBack Studios, were born in the United Kingdom with the aim of finishing the title that concerns us today (originally called 'Interview with a Made Man'), whose development had been interrupted after the closure of Acclaim. The new company, based in Manchester, is financed by Fund4Games, who acquired the rights to the aforementioned title and other property of Acclaim. Its components, with a long experience in other companies, think demonstrate that MadeMan is something more than a shooter to use. And, even at the narrative level, I vote for the courage that has achieved it.
MadeMan makes an appearance for PC and Playstation 2, maintaining very similar visual premises in both systems. The best thing of all is that, while in Playstation 2 meets more than correct, PC, even being very similar to the console version, looks remarkable. And more than last-generation effects, this is a question of successful design, apart from the one that unfortunately languish many titles in favor of HDR, blur and bump-mapping to sack.
Apart, as it could not be otherwise, the game for compatible technically exceeds the remarkable Playstation 2 version, due to, on the other hand, forced use of higher resolutions available, which is noticeable in the details of the characters. However, in the Sony machine the theme of the textures has been treated with great care, sometimes maintaining a level that, without end up competing with the legendary portent of the faces of Silent Hill 3, fulfills well, although expressions and lip-synching shine by their absence.
Going to the scenarios, the greatest virtue of these is in the variety and good taste when it comes to recreating them to make them believable. The action, which, being frenetic, leads to some rest, will allow us to enjoy the careful surroundings, some of them not very pleasant due to the nature of the situation. We will visit from soulless cemeteries and alleyways to luxury hotels and, incredible as it may seem, the Vietnamese jungle. And, as we said, in the variety lies the greatest virtue of the graphic environment of MadeMan, able to place us in such different moments that, at times, it seems that we are facing another game.
The bad thing is that MadeMan denotes its technological decline with respect to other titles of the genre. While in Playstation 2 the game does look at an acceptable level with respect to its most direct rivals, PC is far behind what was offered by Max Payne 2 or the recent Matador. Especially next to the latter, which shows all the graphic effects that can be expected from a last generation title, while MadeMan is extremely accusing that the original code comes from Playstation 2, not to say that it was a project started a few years ago.
But you can not deny the narrative capacity of MadeMan. Its solid scenarios and the charisma of the characters are undeniable, and make the product globally win many integers. We will not find the thousands of polygons of other programs, but we will find ourselves in situations that will make us say 'oh, this is exciting!'. And the best of all is that those moments seem to go further than the mere scripts, and a good example is shortly after starting the game, in a warehouse where, if we notice, we will be shot blindly through some painted glasses , having to shoot us a bit at random also not knowing where the enemies are located. Very funny and nothing scripted, I say again.
Our character is not an example of what we might call fluid animations, being somewhat rigid in certain movements, although all the game's dolls react very well physically thanks to a well-established ragdoll effect. Nor is he adept at what variety, but provides what is necessary to survive the shootings of the game. We jump, we go stealthily, we hide behind the objects ?? MadeMan sticks to the useful, and resorts to certain moments of flip when, for example, we execute our rivals. It will be shown before us a bold and violent sequence that, to split screen to the purest style '24', grants an unusual rawness to the adventure.
These multiple little windows to tell the story become a natural resource of MadeMan's storytelling. This will show us events outside the window of action, which surely will be consistent with what happens, and give the development a narrative agility certainly sublime. And is that MadeMan's argument is one of its most outstanding points, so it is normal that so much attention has been paid to the way of telling the plot.
Maybe that's why the action of the program has been treated with some realism. Although we have something very similar to the 'bullet time' of Matrix or Max Payne, the shootings are, in general, very realistic, very crude. Of course, the blood flows in torrents, and the feeling that each of our bullets is lethal counts as a special defender to convey the roughness of the attacks. The one that subscribes can not deny it: I love the shootings of MadeMan.
To finish, tell that, in terms of performance, MadeMan is a very undemanding program. It is capable of running at sixty frames per second with an already old GeForce FX 5500, which many users with humble equipment hungry for new software will appreciate. In Playstation 2 the game oscillates from 60 to 30 fps, more than enough to show fluidly an action without uncomfortable surprises.
For a plot as solid as that of MadeMan, the soundtrack should have enough goodness so as not to leave the entire narrative in a sordid position. Fortunately, each and every one of the melodies has been orchestrated as if it were a cinematographic experience, in addition to having a quality of composition beyond doubt. The song of the options screen stands out, totally vintage.
Adapting as a glove to each situation, MadeMan's music is an example of how to decorate a videogame in sound terms. Also for the fact that he knows when and where to provide total silence, with moments when the tuning goes out and gives way to the birds of the field, to the engines of the great city or to the warlike cawing characteristic of a war? possibly to surprise after a few seconds with a blow of musical effect, accompanying in a subtle as well as forceful any event that affects us.
At almost the same level are the sound effects, strong as they are alone and adding notorious doses of realism to the moments of action of the game. It also deserves a lot of applause the localization to the Castilian of MadeMan, thanks to an outstanding dubbing that, to have been of another form, would have diminished the final quality of this playable black novel.
Simple to control and without complicated frills, MadeMan is a third person shooter to use. Its playful methodology will not bring anything new to the world of videogames, focusing only the action in offering a pleasant playable experience full of shots and violence. The only and great novelty noteworthy is that of telling in an original way a plot worthy of the best black novel, full of details that, of course, contribute their tasty grain of sand to the gaming experience.
Again we have a protagonist whose limited capacity when carrying weapons will make us think about the ammunition to use, and that finds in its ability to hide and hide from enemy attacks one of the bastions for its survival. It is not that it is a title typecast in the playable nuances of stealth or tactical action, nothing is further from reality, but a tad escapes the brazen direct action of Max Payne or El Matador.
The control is very simple, classic to the maximum: movement and focus. It responds perfectly and the camera will not play tricks on us. We have a button to cover us on any element of the stage, that, being far away, our character will jump to the parapet in question. We also have a kind of 'fury' that serves as 'time-bullet', where everything will move in slow motion and we can unleash all our lead-based anger.
A curious option and with a certain grace is the possibility of giving the coup de grace to certain enemies that we have not finished down completely. The scene will be shown in detail, something crude but not reaching the levels of The Punisher. We can also leave the individual alive, so they can tell who has humiliated him in that way. A somewhat trivial detail, everything has to be said, but that ends up providing a certain character to the main character.
For the rest, MadeMan does not cease to be an example of a conservative and not very avant-garde program. It is allowed to play very well, although it may be easier for the experts of this type of software. The AI of the enemies, far from being infallible in the 'Matador' style, gives a lot of game, like the scenarios, which have many destructible elements. Little more to say for a third person shooter that pulls to be very measured in its playable proposal. Nothing to emphasize, but all about a correction levels suitable for conformistas.
conclusion
MadeManMadeMan is a game that can suffer the indifference of the general public for a handful of things. One of them is the fact of being a complete stranger, it is not a second or third party or comes from a more or less popular developer. It is also a somewhat trite genre on PC and not sufficiently appreciated in Playstation 2 ... And to make matters worse, it has been very badly treated by certain international media. ... It may not be a 'triple A', and even that is archaic for the gallery if we compare it with the greats of the genre. But you can not deny their humble virtues, ranging from an incredibly well developed plot to a playable capacity beyond doubt, simple and with few fissures. And that's it ... It's not a crack, but it's not a bluff either. At least check it out, or send it to the family ... · The plot is very well shaped · The changing of the setting · Clear and simple, seamless gameplay.
The best
- The argument is very well expressed.
- Clear and simple gameplay, without fissures.
- The changing of the setting.
Worst
- MadeMan (PC)
- Few playable surprises.
- Its game condition that goes unnoticed ...
- Technically somewhat outdated, staying very short after, for example, the Max Payne.
It is not the latest or the most original, it does not have the best execution, but it can be fun if you like the genre. Good, but improvable.