Watchmen: The End of Nigh Part 1

Watchmen : The End is Nigh: The video game tie-in for the movie based on the iconic graphic novel. I know that Alan Moore has been rather despondent towards the Watchmen movie, so I shudder to think of what his thoughts would be about this beat-em-up…

Story : …which supposedly tells of events that happened before the book…events that I’m sure Alan Moore never envisioned himself, nor wanted to exist. Back when Nite Owl and Rorschach were presumably in the prime of their crime-fighting careers, a jail break occurs and a particular criminal known as the Underboss escapes, leaving our two heroes in hot pursuit. While cutscenes are presented in a moving-comic style that fits the source material, the story is inconsequential in the grand scheme of Watchmen fiction and is about as deep as a Saturday morning cartoon. The one major positive of note is that while the developers miss the point on just about everything else that makes Watchmen unique, they at least understood the essence of Rorschach’s pathological psyche.

The End is Nigh is the same kind of beat-em-up that one expects out a superhero movie tie-in. I shouldn’t act surprised, being that “good guys who pummel armies of thugs” is the most natural concept for a superhero game, but the Watchmen story is meant to analyze those same superhero concepts and critique them as if they existed in a real-life setting, not succumb to them. How about a first person shooter starring The Comedian in Vietnam? Wouldn’t be an original from a gameplay standpoint but at least it’d capture that character in his element.

Here’s a less pretentious line: the game consists of you going on a linear path from Point A to B and beating up a lot of goons along the way. Your weapons in combat include a weak and strong button that you can mix up for assorted unlockable combos, the ability to throw ragdoll-esque enemies at each other, and different defensive mechanisms based on your characher; Nite Owl’s block automatically stuns attackers and makes for quick counter attacks, while Rorschach has a critical dodge maneuver. Nite Owl has a Charge meter that fills with time, and is used for area-of-effect stun attacks. Meanwhile, Roschach can bum rush an enemy or enter Rage Mode, driven by a meter filled by inflicting justice, in which he becomes super-strong, super righteous and develops a third instinct for countering wild attacks. Oh and there’s quick-time event finishers, and while they’re a tad overly-scripted, they also feel natural in the flow of battle. Meanwhile, all of your punches and kicks flow together seamlessly, making combat feel organic as opposed to watching canned animations in 3DStudio Max, and a combination of spilled blood and teeth make combat feel visceral, like your attacks have heft and weight to them (as opposed to the over-the-top strikes of Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden…)

Make no mistake, the game is repetitive in nature, in fact it can be voraciously repetitive; all you’re doing is fighting one wave after another of goons, with little variation. Some levels have both skinny and fat goons, some levels have goons with knives, but it’s always goons, and all with the same script it seems; it’s rather silly to see police officers use the same “After I’m through with you, I’m gonna go after your girlfriend Rorschach next” line that the Chinese gangsters threatened you with earlier. It’s almost as annoying as how often Nite Owl will contemplate the notion that the next sect of thugs will leave you alone. But despite the repetitive nature, there’s a nice rhythm and reason to the combat. It’s imperative that you keep moving for these enemies don’t sit patiently and wait for you to finish your combo on their friend before attacking like in almost every action movie. So while Nite Owl will rely on a pattern of counter attacks, combos and stun special attacks to stay out of harm’s way, Rorschach will be dodging around, keeping your back safe, and looking for chances to retaliate and fill up the Rage meter.

In fact the mauling of hundreds of goons is about all the game has going for it. Any non-fighting sequence feels pointless. Occasionally, some garage door that only Nite Owl apparently has the strength to lift just enough for Rorschach to slip through (but not Vice-Versa) will appear, forcing the two to split up and take alternate paths…only for the switch that opens the door to be right there, or for your alternate paths to intertwine within seconds, begging the question of “what the hell was the point of that?” And there’s the occasional switch that you’ll both have to hit at once, which feels a tad contrived to even exist. The only deviation in the standard gameplay formula is the Final and Only boss, the appropriately named Underboss, and your battle with him is forgettable yet drawn out to be longer than it should.

Really, The End is Nigh has so much going against it. It’s based on a franchise that really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, shouldn’t be translated into a video game at all. And it’s a beat-em-up, and those are highly repetitive in nature. Yet I almost never found myself not compelled by the experience. It’s about 3-4 hours long, which is a good length, and has much more ideal pacing than a Devil May Cry 4. Not to mention it grasps the “easy to learn, hard to master” notion better than a Ninja Gaiden 2, so as an action game, you can call it a mild success. Plus its two-player co-operative, so you and a buddy can hop in and enjoy a nice little throwback to the Streets of Rage/Final Fight glory days of repetitive beat-em-ups. It’s more expensive than every Xbox Live Arcade available, but in this day and age when ignorant new-generation gamers will refuse to play Street Fighter 3 because it has “Super Nintendo graphics”, trying to get someone to join in on a Double Dragon session can be a tricky task.

Pros : Solid Production values.

Cons : Nite Owl’s cape will occasionally clip into his body.

Pro and Con : A lack of Dr Manhattan’s glownads.

4 stars.