Inversion Review (PS3)

The game flirts with a few interesting gameplay ideas, such as gravity-less “Zero G” sections that require the player to float around, taking cover behind broken pieces of land to engage in shootouts with the enemy. It also has a few sections that could’ve been fleshed out into full-fledged puzzles, such as areas where Russell is asked to pull down objects to make his way across to other side of them or pull down weights to open doors. It even has areas where Russell and Delgado are transferred from the ground to areas such as the sides of buildings in battle, but not much beyond that. The examples mentioned here are really the extent of the presence of the concepts in the game. The lack of variety and creativity in these areas is unfortunate, though, as they could’ve helped Inversion stand out more if they had been explored more.

Inversion has a wide variety of multiplayer modes: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Hourglass (a variation of team-based King of the Hill, where players attack enemy vectors and defend their own), Assault (a team-based mode where players capture objective points within the time limit or fail to advance), King of Gravity (where players fight over control of a single Gravlink to become the King of Gravity, the only player who can score points), Grav Control (a mode where kill streaks allow players to turn the maps upside down), Gravity Slaughter (where players score kills and points by using gravity powers), and Survival (a Horde mode-like offering that includes bosses). However, the wait to be connected to an opponent can be extremely lengthy (the longest wait encountered for an opponent was seventeen minutes) and a match with a large number of opponents can be hard to come by. The wait to be connected to opponents and the lack of a number of opponents definitely hinder the game’s multiplayer offerings.

Inversion could’ve been so much more if more of its potential had been capitalized on. Unfortunately, everything that could be used to make Inversion a unique and standout game — if not a sleeper hit — has such a small presence in the game that it just feels like a squad shooter with decent mechanics and some different ideas. The concept of manipulating gravity and shifting planes has plenty of promise, but it just doesn’t materialize in any way substantial enough to truly make a difference. Also, the game’s campaign has a story that just moves from one event to the next with few developments and online multiplayer is hurt by lengthy matchmaking times and too few available opponents. Inversion just doesn’t have enough new features or captivating gameplay to emerge from the crowd, despite being an otherwise solid shooter.

PlayStation LifeStyle’s Final Score



+Solid squad shooter with some interesting ideas

-Gameplay doesn’t offer much new, story is just okay

-Online MP has lengthy wait for opponents, not many opponents available

5.5 out of 10

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