One of the most frustrating parts of my job would have to be exposure to game designs that have not fully realized their potential. Time and again we see titles that might’ve been smash hits, or at least niche favorites, if they had but a few more months of development or a few hundred thousand dollars more funding. On a completely unrelated note, I had the opportunity to review Brat Designs’ Breed title, which the official website proudly touts as the “Halo-Killer”. And at one point in the process, roundabout the napkin-scribbling design document stage, that may well have been a potential label, but players may find the final product somewhat lacking in this votive claim.

Breed is a squad-based shooter that incorporates both vehicular and infantry combat, with the player cast as a genetically engineered soldier in command of several troops or one vehicle at any given time. While the human race was fighting the Breed aliens (which appear to be robots, but who are we to judge) in a far-off galaxy, the Earth has been ravaged by a previously unknown mass of these nefarious villains from the stars, and now the player returns home to find most of mankind wiped out with the invaders firmly entrenched on the planet. The enemy is a fearsome foe indeed, opting to gain military advantage with sheer numbers and weapons accuracy that only an Imperial stormtrooper could envy. It is your task to slog through wave after wave after wave of generic Breed soldiers and vehicles, and slog you shall, as the game has an almost sadistic penchant for throwing entire platoons at the player for no apparent reason.

One thing that should immediately be addressed, are the graphics. Large, flat polygons with distorted textures are the order of the day insofar as terrain is concerned, with an engine that feels dated by about five years. Though the ability to render large plots of terrain is impressive and likely requisite what with the air and space vehicles you’ll be piloting, when on terra firma these regions come across as inorganic and featureless. After all, there seems little point in giving the player several miles of battlefield to cross if it’s entirely barren and devoid of purpose. Player and NPC models might be best served by being described as fairly bland and nondescript, with vehicle designs appearing to borrow liberally from game or movie franchises. Visual effects are also fairly dated, with static explosions and rubble from collapsing structures vanishing into thin air. Sound effects are rather unremarkable, and voice acting is painful at the best of times, which is delightfully enhanced by some of the most awkward dialogue the player may have had the pleasure to come across in years.

The physics and controls are another frustrating aspect of the game, with an inherent delayed reaction when piloting a vehicle and an almost lead-footed sensation when guiding infantry across slopes, as they have a tendency to slide downhill. Additionally the movement of infantry is quite lethargic and plodding, which is only made all the more irritating when the next waypoint on the map is a good half-mile off. This in itself would be enough of a negative to remark upon, but is further antagonized when the ambiguous mission instructions can have the player marching down a box canyon with the goal on the other side of the impassable ridge before them, left with no choice but to backtrack extensively to some previous unmarked fork in the road. It’s not all bunions and blisters, however. The vehicles in the game include APCs, dropships, buggies, and tanks, but each share a sort of clunky pause in steering that tends to leave the player to overcorrect and further exacerbate the control issues.

Missions in the game can range from search and destroy to defensive escort, information retrieval to full-on military assault, but really it all boils down to mowing down reams of mindless enemies in a strict and linear fashion. However, even this is sucked dry of any potential pleasure with a nigh-useless HUD, poor indication of enemy location, and often ambiguous goals. Making this all the more annoying is AI with the survival instincts of manic-depressive lemming that has been having a really bad month. There’s nothing quite so impressive as watching a squadron of enemy fighters careening down out of the sky to strafe your convoy as it crosses a bridge, only to watch them flatten themselves into the girders overhead.

While Breed certainly has elements which could have delivered a solid gaming experience had they been properly implemented, none of these ambitious goals have been achieved, and in many ways that’s more regrettable than having to play a poorly made game. There simply aren’t any redeeming aspects to Breed, and perhaps it’s best just to leave it at that.