Inversion

Despite being a solid action game and having a good concept Inversion unfortunately fails to impress in nearly all aspects of gameplay and story.

Inversion might not be innovating in its field with the Gravlink mechanic, but get past the start of the game and you'll open up to a rather enjoyable and good enough shooter that fans of the genre should give a chance before writing it off as a poor man's Gears of War.

On so many levels, Inversion is like a cheesy action movie. Yet just as there's some joy in losing ourselves to the Under Siege movies, Inversion has undeniable charm once we switch our brain to "simple." [Aug 2012, p.82]

The campaign is a solid adventure that is best enjoyed with another person (rather than the AI!) and the game offers a certain level of "surprise" with some of its unique gameplay elements. It's just a shame that some of these unique elements are not incorporated better or injected more frequently in the campaign. While I wouldn't pay full price for the game, it's definitely worth checking out once the price goes down.

Inversion is a decent shooter with some fun gravity-gameplay. Unfortunately it is never memorable and offers no innovation or surprise, offering a mediocre overall experience.

Overall, Inversion is a game that feels instantly familiar, and not in a good way. The game lifts heavily from more illustrious sources, while its own unique selling point, gravity powers, never feels fully exploited. But equally, the game is a solid and reasonably well-produced shooter that is fun to play, particularly with other people. As long as you don't expect a revolution, you will have a good time battling this particular alien invasion.

Inversion isn't bad, but it isn't good, either. It's a generic, dull third-person shooter that is competent enough. Aside from some issues with aiming the Gravlink, everything works about as well as it should, but that's the kindest thing one can say about the title. Forgettable enemies, bland locations, boring gunplay and a clichéd story combine into a product that has little entertainment value.

Despite its presentational flaws – the script is married to some deeply underwhelming visuals – and lack of true inspiration, solid implementation of both the basic mechanics and the wannabe game-changer mean it floats our boat, even if we're not flipping out.

By the time the final encounter came around, I wasn't looking forward to a satisfying conclusion. I was just ready for the game to conclude.

With the Gravlink - an alien, but poorly designed technology that Russ carries around on his back - you can pick up objects and throw them or lift enemies out of cover. Unfortunately the controls are so imprecise it takes ages before you get the right object to levitate. [July 2012, p.86]

Inversion had a neat idea, but the execution is lackluster at best. For genre connoisseurs, it's worth a look, but most can safely pass this one up.

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.

It's not a terrible game, but it's in those moments in which you glimpse it's unrealised potential that really brings it down.

In the end, you will likely finish the game in about 7-9 hours, but still feel like you didn't play it. It is that forgettable.

It's a decent enough shooter, but the lack of ideas and fiddly controls - especially through zero-gravity sections - make this a dead cert for the bargain bin. [Aug 2012, p.102]

Inversion is not a good game. It's an unpolished game with a single good idea, the Gravilink, and that's really not enough to carry the entire experience. The multiplayer alone makes Inversion worth a rental, but I suggest skipping the intensely boring campaign.

Inversion flirts with the idea of having ideas, but then gives up all pretence of inventiveness and settles for being a bland and forgettable third-person shooter. [Issue#220, p.80]

Inversion has a great premisse, an interesting story and an overall solid control scheme. This, however, isn't enough to save the game from mediocrity. Its biggest crime isn't the short campaign or the graphical flaws, but the fact that fooling around with gravity - supposedly the game's big hook - isn't at all necessary.

Overall I don't think it's a game that's really worth your time, unless you've literally nothing better to play within this particular genre. Worth a rental, maybe, but certainly not a purchase.

Inversion is the epitome of uninspired game design, as even it's core elements never manage to be anything but mediocre. On top of that it does nothing to set itself apart from every other third person shooter on the market, and even the slightly entertaining gravity-powers doesn't do it much good.

Welcome to brown town, ladies and gents. Escape is impossible. [August 2012]