A Japanese surprise

Is your patience waiting for Gears of War 3 to arrive wearing thin? Then Quantum Theory might be just the game for you. It is ambitious, aiming to deliver frantic firefights, an engaging story and a cover system made unique by the constantly changing tower that your adventure will take place in.

Publisher Tecmo Koei announced Quantum Theory in December of 2009 for the Playstation 3, and more recently unveiled it will also be coming to Xbox 360 owners. It was something of a revelation that a Japanese developer was working on a Third-Person cover shooter. The genre is not the usual fare for Japanese gamers and seeing Team Tachyon helming a western style shooter was quite a surprise. The developer's previous releases include Rygar: the Battle of Argus released for the Nintendo Wii and Playstation 2, and Undead Knights for the Sony PSP. Quantum Theory looks to be their biggest release yet.

The Living Tower

You take the role of Syd, a tough warrior and one of the few surviving humans from the latest world war that took a hefty toll on mankind. To make matters worse, the survivors are at risk from a mysterious black substance known as Erosion that is decimating the land, transforming everything it touches into a dark, depressing and lifeless environment. With their existence threatened, the remaining humans stage an assault on the mysterious and constantly changing Living Tower from which the believe the evil originates. This is where the game starts, as you and fellow warrior Filena make your way into the tower in the hopes of destroying it. The story sounds pleasing enough and leaves me wondering about what exactly the substance is and what is going to happen. The Living Tower - one of the most intriguing parts of the game - seemingly sprang from the Earth by itself and provides a constantly changing stage by shifting its structure.

Most of Quantum Theory's gameplay is familiar fare for the genre, though it does come with a few original elements. The big guys, big guns, and bigger enemies formula are not the only things comparable to games such as Gears of War. In fact, everything about Quantum Theory screams that it has been influenced by Epic's masterpiece which is not necessarily a bad thing. The graphics, running animations, character models, weapons, and even the HUD is very similar. The Living Tower does much to set the game apart from its peers however. It is an original and exciting part of the game and will prove to be a constant presence to the player with morphing the surroundings. Crucial cover points may suddenly turn out to be unsafe as they are taken away by the tower itself. A great idea, especially in a game where cover is important.

Another original addition to the gameplay is the interaction between you and your partner Filena. It looks like she will be a close companion throughout your journey up the tower and will prove to be very helpful. An interesting take on teamwork is the special attack of picking up and throwing Filena to an enemy for a satisfying surprise attack on the enemy. Although there has been no announcement or denial of co-op within Quantum Theory, one can't help but think how cool that would be when playing together.

Delayed

Quantum Theory has some unique aspects that we can't wait to see in their full glory. The game's story presents a very dark and dangerous world that Tecmo Koei gave shape to very well. Earth is in a very sad state indeed and the feeling that without the death of the Erosion the humans will be doomed is palpable. We can only hope that the recently announced delay of the game is not a reflection on Team Tachyon's inexperience with creating a Third Person Shooter. Ben Lawrence, PR Manager for Koei noted that the game deserves "optimum development time" to make for a "stronger, more entertaining game". Although a game delay is usually met with groans, I think in the case of Quantum Theory it is for the best.

On paper, the individual elements of the game sound like a recipe for success, but if Tecmo Koei wants it to be one of the must have titles of the year then they need to focus on making it a unique experience and less like a wannabe Gears of War clone. The game has a lot going for it and looks like a potentially fun shooter that could be a great new addition to the genre. Hopefully Team Tachyon will focus more on making it in their own style, focusing on fun gameplay, a strong story, and a high level of polish that this delay will hopefully bring us.