Prison Break: The Conspiracy – The MMOMFG Review

Prison Break: The Conspiracy

Fresh off the heels of an enjoyable, but inevitably canceled TV series on the FOX network, notorious for stripping this author of his favorite programs, Prison Break: The Conspiracy is a game that takes place in sequential order with the first season of the show. Having been a huge fan of the series, I had high hopes for a virtual spin-off, despite concerns that this title would potentially fall by the wayside along with the many nameless other show or movie-inspired spin-offs. Luckily, Deep Silver and Zootfly have pieced together a solid offering that features many inspired ideas for a stealth-based romp through America’s most notorious fictional prison, Fox River Penitentiary.

With a reduced price tag and marketing plan focused on fans of the series instead of trying to cram the concept down the majority of gamers’ throats, Deep Silver has packaged a trip back to Fox River that provides sparks of enjoyment, moments of sheer frustration and a mixture of everything else in between. Prison Break: The Conspiracy has its ups and downs, but this may finally be a show inspired game that delivers an experience worthy of praise.

Players are thrust into the shoes of Tom Paxton, a member of The Company, a government run corporation, whose only goal is ultimate power and control. Paxton’s next (and potentially final) mission places him in his most undesirable undercover role yet, the latest inmate at Fox River Pen, where he has to discover Michael Scofield’s plot to save his wrongfully accused brother, Lincoln Burrows, and escape the prison before his execution. Is murder the case that they gave him, or can Paxton get his hands on the two brothers to foil plot before they jump the shark? Read on, Fish!

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What’s Good

Don’t drop the soap – Despite the fact that PB:C won’t be winning any gaming industry awards this year, the engine and graphics fit well with the concept of the game and never really held it back. Working with a limited budget, Deep Silver focused on what is important in a title like Prison Break, the story, ambiance of prison and the feeling of immersion during play. I’ve never wanted to be in prison, but after beating Prison Break, I feel like I could safely escape one, if that prison allowed inmates to set their difficult to easy…

You’re not a fish! You walk on both legs, Homo erectus - Drug overdoses, tear gas and other game altering effects show the game’s solid engine and graphics. It won’t revolutionize any gaming mechanics by any means, but it certainly is an appreciated concept that a game based on a show (or movie) can have a fun story with decent graphics that plays well. The tear gas effects really force the pacing of action, such as finding higher ground as soon as possible. Precise camera angles, guard positioning and spotlights led to sticky situations (normally something you wouldn’t want in prison), and their presence led to a somewhat realistic feeling of panic.

Hey I recognize those voices! – Every solid television program requires appropriate character choices, as well as great actors filling those roles. I always enjoyed the characters from the Prison Break series, especially T-Bag and Michael Scofield. The game was able to secure the original actors from the show to provide their pipes for the game, except for Dr. Sarah Tancredi. I can’t even remember her name, so she it obviously didn’t have much affect on my enjoyment. If you watched the show, you’ll recognize the creepy, wispy voice of T-Bag, C-Note’s rough and thuggish tone, and Michael Scofield’s prison-baby dialogue. It is a welcome sight (or sound) to see the original cast sign on for the video game adaptation and not just a main character or two, but literally the entire cast. Good for them and good for us, as it would have sounded odd and uninspiring to hear some other sleazy Italian call Scofield “Paisano” or any other such guidoish thing in his slurred accent.

So many inmates, I hope no one gets R’d in the B – Prison Break: The Conspiracy follows a good storyline, specifically for fans of the show. The dialogue, music and cutscenes all remind the player of the best elements from the show, which is definitely a good thing. The stealth mode, where Paxton is forced to search for items, discover secrets or even attempt escapes, is enhanced well by the sound, atmosphere and elements that try to deter him. Depending on the level of difficulty, players have a number of objects that stand in their way beyond the normal wall or gate. Guards making their rounds, motion detecting cameras and even random events, typically handled in Quick Time Event fashion (quickly pressing action buttons), all provide obstacles to keep Paxton from being the King of Fox River. If you’re man (or woman) enough to take on the game on the highest difficulty, you’ll notice the radar (mini map) does not indicate guard locations, the direction they’re facing or even cameras. Only take on this challenge if you’re the sliest of undercover agents, or have balls of steel. I’ll just state now that I do not, and enjoyed my breeze through Fox River on Guppie (n00b) mode. Tipping cameras, unscrewing bolts, hacking fuse boxes and picking locks were key additions that added precise timing and silence during some of the more intense moments of the game.

I wanna see some tatties - Hand to hand combat is fun, but limited. If you’re a fan of beating up half naked dudes and earning underground fight money, ala Fight Club-ish scraps, Prison Break’s system should keep you entertained for at least a bit. You won’t be dropping your favorite Figher title to replay Prison Break’s brawling mode, but it does offer additional ways through guards and inmates rather than just sneaking. Also, who doesn’t want to bitch smack a punkass every now and then? You can use your earned cash to get some prison ink (tattoos), but this won’t keep you replaying for long.

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What’s Bad

You all look strangely similar to Scofield - I know the majority of inmates tend to have shaved heads, but half of the game I couldn’t tell if I was taking place in fisticuffs with Michael Scofield or what. The engine does have its limitations, especially in terms of keeping scenes fresh, as I typically just moved from point A to point B without ever really being stunned by the environments. I’m not judging this game on the scale of a God of War III, but I never had any of those “whoa!” moments during the game visually. I also faced random glitching issues, such as my guy falling through an elevator shaft and getting stuck forcing me to continue from my previous checkpoint. Nothing game breaking, but still unfortunate.

I can only become so beefy - Other than following the story, there isn’t much to do: moderate weightlifting, hitting the old punching bag and a handful of illegal basement fights only go so far. There just isn’t much reason to do any of these except for getting ink for your guy, but to me, that isn’t much incentive. Also, the inmates didn’t even seem to care that I beat every fighter in a row with my guy on the lowest fighting level. I wonder why that didn’t unlock a trophy!? They should have heralded my version of Paxton and his classy heart tattoos I got him, but to no avail they just went about their merry ways of prison life. I haven’t even mentioned yet that Paxton looks exactly like John Cena!

After chapter 2, that’s about it - Despite all the weightlifting and bag training to build up your strength and speed, you never unlock any additional fighting moves or combos, which limits the combat system since by your fourth fight you’ve already experienced every finishing blow. Similar to the combat system, when progressing through the game’s storyline, after you’ve picked your first lock, unscrewed your first hatch, stealthily climbed around to avoid guards, and hacked your first fuse box (all within the initial two chapters), you’ve pretty much seen it/done it all. As much as I like the fact that this game came out, I never really expected it to have a high replay factor, so as long as you expect this going in, you’ll be fine.

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Worth Remembering:

There are plenty of positives to take away from Prison Break: The Conspiracy. Despite a fairly quick nine to twelve hour playtime, depending on your difficulty level, the game progresses with the intensity of the show, nicely including the classic music and catchy cutscenes we came to love. I really think the additional story helped keep the series fresh for many fans. Despite the overall game play experience having its ups and downs, I still have a smile on my face while writing this review. This won’t be for your average hardcore gamer expecting Splinter Cell style stealth play, but it delivers what it intended to do.

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Worth Forgetting:

Forget expecting a super deep game involving a variety of modes and complex plot lines. This game delivers an enjoyable story; however, the linear, locked in direction of where to go will likely only have you playing it once, which typically leads to a rental decision compared to a purchase. Ups and downs in terms of missions lead the player to want just a bit more out of the ambitious title.

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At a decent price with a fun story and quality voice acting, Prison Break: The Conspiracy will likely sit on your shelf after your initial play through, but that shouldn’t detract you from giving it a shot. Just remember that this game is intended for fans of the series, so if you’re wandering the aisle looking for the next great action/adventure game, use caution if considering PB:C for purchase. If you can’t name at least three characters or explain why Michael is in prison in the first place, I’d suggest giving it a rent first. I can see myself playing through Prison Break again in about six months to a year, but it will be firmly on my shelf in my growing pile of PS3 titles from 2010. All in all, I suggest you determine where your loyalties to Fox River lie before considering stepping foot in its encompassing walls. Court is in session and I’ve been found guilty of having a good time with this title. I beat the game and I didn’t even have to become anyone’s bitch!

*Prison Break: The Conspiracy was given to MMOMFG for review on the PlayStation 3 console

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