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Damnation

EMAIL PRINT ps3

2.4 User Score:

Generally unfavorable reviews

Based on 35 critic reviews
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Based on 27 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Codemasters

Developer: Blue Omega Entertainment

Genre(s): Shooter

Players: Multi

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: May 26, 2009

Summary

Evolving the shooter genre with its unique combination of fluid action and combat, Damnation features huge, open environments, frenetic combat, daredevil acrobatics and high-octane vehicle-based stunts. Presenting players with an intense test of reflexes, quick thinking and rapid-fire conflict, Damnation features vast, breathtaking landscapes, each covering miles of distance and thousands of vertical feet. Billed as a "shooter gone vertical" and visually inspired by iconic elements of American history, these massive streaming landscapes form the battlegrounds for a post-industrial conflict between humanity and an unstoppable arms dealer hell-bent on total world domination. Players choose their own paths and navigate the world by performing daredevil feats on the edge of human ability. Intelligent enemies give chase and engage players in frantic gun fights and attacks that can come from any direction. With up to three hours of actual gameplay stretching out in front of them per level, players need more than just muscle power to get across each level safely. Damnation offers players a selection of vehicles, from motorbikes capable of launching across seemingly infinite chasms, to huge, armour-piercing marvels that induce mayhem with every huge shell. The high action is supported by an epic and in-depth story which, while focusing on the exploits of the hero character Rourke, is truly an ensemble piece. Players meet and become involved in intricate story plots that reveal much more than the obvious. In addition to the single player experience, Damnation comes complete with a unique set of multiplayer options that take full advantage of the game’s expansive levels. [Codemasters]

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Worth Playing

I can only recommend Damnation to anyone who has a very particular special interest in alternative history, especially concerned with the American Old West. Even then, rent it first.

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Play Magazine

Blue Omega’s vision is buried under so many layers of clumsy gameplay and painful cinematics that the glimmers of the game that could have been just can’t stem the tide.

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ZTGameDomain

The execution kills it almost instantly the first time you try to take down an enemy.

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Games Master UK

Not quite so bad it's good but not so bad it's awful either. It's worth a rent, but just for laughs. [Aug 2009, p.82]

3DJuegos

Damnation is the eternal story of the genre-breaker wanna be. An action game that wanted to go beyond the limits of the traditional shooter, but that finally crashes because of its repetitive, vague and boring gameplay.

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PSM3 Magazine UK

The slowest, most arthritic shooter in the West. [July 2009, p.76]

PALGN

Damnation is an unfinished title with a concept and scale to rival some of the best shooters on the market. Sadly, the poor execution makes you wonder how great this title could have been.

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Game Over Online

It's not even so bad that it's funny, although it certainly started off that way. It's just plain bad.

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Playstation Official Magazine UK

A fairly significant disaster. [July 2009, p.92]

GamingXP

Regardless of what you consider (graphics, sound or handling), Damnation emits the aura of being unfinished, even if you bought it for the full price. Graphic effects do NOT make sure that the game is a good one, there are simply too many details the developers didn't pay attention to in the first place to. Truly sad, isn't it?

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Eurogamer Italy

A few interesting things to do, huge problems with gameplay and tech. Damnation is a huge failure and no one was expecting it to be so poor.

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Total Video Games

It's ill-thought from the very start, which is demonstrated by the contradictions and flaws evident throughout the entire game.

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SpazioGames

Damnation could actually win the prize for worst game in the X360 and PS3 catalog of 2009. Probably due to the lack of experience of the developers, the game is technically and stylistically poor, and the gameplay is pure chaos. Suggested to no one.

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PSX Extreme

Just stay far, far away from this game. If someone offers it to you for free, punch them in the nose repeatedly.

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Play UK

It's buggy, slightly broken and well worth avoiding. [Issue#181, p.84]

Vandal Online

Summing up, the first game of the moviemakers of Blue Omega is not as good as they expected. They have to work hard to polish the errors committed in this game, which better argument is the Steampunk aesthetics so enjoyed in underground genres.

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GameSpot

This third-person shooter is a trip into hell.

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InsideGamer.nl

Damnation sucks at every front. The futuristic cowboy setting is lame, the shootouts are boring and the story is just stupid. Damnation will ruin your day, your marriage and even your life.

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Cheat Code Central

A sad story. The game had an interesting concept and a good amount of potential but it just never came together.

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Gaming Age

It pains me to write reviews like this. I thought we were far beyond this point in the gaming industry to green light such tripe, let alone at a full price tag to boot. If this is the best that Codemasters can produce in the action genre, please, let's hope they stick to racing.

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Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)

The whole game screams "last-gen." [Aug 2009, p.72]

Game Informer

This isn’t a premier blend of pulp fiction. It’s just a pulpy mess.

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Multiplayer.it

Damnation is a terrible action game: technical issues are atrocious, the main feature of the game is badly implemented, gunfights are frustrating and totally not enjoyable, the story loses its charm right after the intro movie and the multiplayer mode is bad designed and simply not played by anyone.

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Playstation Official Magazine Australia

We desperately wanted to give Damnation the benefit of the doubt, but everything about it just feels wrong. You need to do far better than this to cut the mustard. [July 2009, p.82]

AceGamez

Damnation is assuredly bigger than your average game, but the better for it? Oh my, no: its scale only exacerbates its innumerable deficiencies.

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Gameplayer Sweden

Damnation mixes gameplay elements from great games like Gears of War and Tomb Raider, but manages to screw it up so badly that no one should even consider buying it.

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Edge Magazine

The game's ambition far outstrips its creator's abilities: damned by execution rather than intent, but damned nonetheless. [July 2009, p.99]

WonderwallWeb

Damnation is a perfect example of a game you shouldn't touch.

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IGN

The gameplay isn't fun, the levels are too long, the sound is bad, and the story isn't interesting. There are more problems, but I'll leave my written flogging at that. Avoid this game at all costs.

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TheSixthAxis

With Codemasters publishing this title you would expect a decent end product. But as it stands this game is in need of a new title, such as “Damn-we fluffed that one”.

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Boomtown

A real mess.

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D+PAD Magazine

Blue Omega certainly has the vision, but evidently lacks the talent to do it justice. Damnation indeed.

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Teletext GameCentral

Amateurish mix of Tomb Raider and Unreal Tournament 2004 that should have stayed as a fan-made mod.

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XGN

Damnation should have never been released in its current state. The setting is very original, but that doesn't make up for the terrible gameplay and graphics.

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Gamer.nl

Damnation had potential, but manages to do everything wrong. The game looks and controls awful and never gets fun to play.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 2.4 (out of 10) based on 27 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ted S gave it a1:
I'm a huge Steampunk fan, and quite interested in action games, so I was all geared up (pun intended) to give this game a chance, despite the few negative reviews I've seen. Unfortunately, even with these good expectations, it quickly became apparent that this game is awful. The touted free roaming aspect is non-existent, the game is essentially a linear level grind with the only meaningful choice being which ledge to jump on. To show this, even things like climbing poles is unfortunately limited. You climb up facing one of the 4 cardinal points, and can switch to the others, but bad luck if you want to jump off on the diagonal. This makes jumping onto platforms easier, as you can bet they'll be on one of the points, but it feels ridiculously constrained. Mind you, this contraint is probably a good thing. The controls are so bad that even shooting requires you to hold down a button, press another button to enter aim mode, wiggle another joystick, then press a third button to fire the thing, and the shoddy responsiveness means you'll probably miss. Taking cover is a no-no, as crouching behind a wall means you'll still get shot, but your bullets will do nothing but slam into your own cover. Obviously, with shooting being this much of a nightmare, accurate platforming with the required control responsiveness is almost impossible. The graphics are moderately interesting, scenery-wise, but the characters are quite mediocre, and the obvious difference between the movies and the gameplay just serves to show how so-so the graphics actually are. I wouldn't be able to tell you about the story because having got to the end of the second level, I decided that I'd rather be doing something (read, pretty much anything) else, and quit. Fortunately I was among the first to get to the trade-in, so didn't lose much in the way of money.

Tyler H gave it a1:
I watched a friend play this... after about 10 minutes we thought, maybe this could get better, like the visuals, or the gameplay, or the plot... nope. glad it was a rental... after another 10 minutes of horror, we began to panic thinking that this was the beginning of the zombie appoclypse... so we stabbed and scratched this game, ran it over, chopped it up, threw it in the toliet and urinated on it in hopes it would go away... no not really, but it was more enjoyable for me to write that than play this game for a little bit/watch this rushed mistake. obviously the developers decided not to develop a game, but instead a giant turd... congrats if that was your goal.

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