The Saboteur

 PlayStation 3
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 159 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 118 out of 159
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 159
  3. Negative: 7 out of 159
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  1. grenouille
    Apr 4, 2014
    6
    When I picked this title up, I expected to find a middle of the road game with some innovative mechanics (given how underrated others seem to think this game is). However, the only two things I really enjoyed about this game was the music and the color effect that co-occurs with freeing districts.

    Otherwise, the mediocre gameplay feels unusually stale largely consisting of driving out    When I picked this title up, I expected to find a middle of the road game with some innovative mechanics (given how underrated others seem to think this game is). However, the only two things I really enjoyed about this game was the music and the color effect that co-occurs with freeing districts.

    Otherwise, the mediocre gameplay feels unusually stale largely consisting of driving out of the red circle, pressing triangle to place explosive hear to blow this object up for the resistance, drive to this point on the map, etc. The game has stealth mechanics and they are terribly implemented. The combat largely consists of shooting out from cover and is nothing to be praised as fun nor innovative. The story was boring and characters often felt like cardboard cutouts.

    As someone who went into this expecting quite a bit from a studio I have always adored, I found this to be very disappointing. I found myself constantly wishing for this game to be more like Just Cause 2, as I tried to force myself to continue on to the next mission. This is one title that definitely has not been underrated, in my opinion.    … Expand
  2. JamesD
    Jan 23, 2010
    7
    The Saboteur is a classic example of a 7/10 game. Whilst it does an excellent job with the action and the style of the open world, not to mention its numerous cliches and stereotyped characters (which gives some good personality to the game) The Saboteur feels like the same experience that we've seen from Mercs 2 and Red Faction Guerilla. There is a fair bit to complain about but The Saboteur is a classic example of a 7/10 game. Whilst it does an excellent job with the action and the style of the open world, not to mention its numerous cliches and stereotyped characters (which gives some good personality to the game) The Saboteur feels like the same experience that we've seen from Mercs 2 and Red Faction Guerilla. There is a fair bit to complain about but what's left is a thoroughly solid and greatly enjoyable experiences which pushes no boundaries and fails to innovate.… Expand
  3. aspentitan
    Sep 27, 2016
    5
    I did not really find anything to do with the game fun and entertaining, only the retro atmosphere/ theme and a decent soundtrack that complemented it well. I really found a lot of the game poorly done. The shooting mechanics were beyond clunky, the car driving meh as well and the stealth elements pretty lame. I was annoyed that the game seemed to have no flow. Each mission seemed aI did not really find anything to do with the game fun and entertaining, only the retro atmosphere/ theme and a decent soundtrack that complemented it well. I really found a lot of the game poorly done. The shooting mechanics were beyond clunky, the car driving meh as well and the stealth elements pretty lame. I was annoyed that the game seemed to have no flow. Each mission seemed a mish-mash of small elements of minor gameplay interrupted by way too many cutscenes and loading.While some may like this style i found it lacked cohesion and decreased my focus in wanting to play the game. I also found the driving and escaping extremely cumbersome. Some portions of the game make you enter the checkpoint area and immediately place you in alarm because of it. I call that filler gameplay. Pretty lazy. Overall i just had no desire to play this game. The 5 minute opening atmosphere of the game was really making me think this game was going to rock but then outside that everything went downhill fast and I lost my interest early into Act 1. It seems a lot of people like this game but I found the actual gameplay pretty bad. I think nudity and blowing stuff up is corrupting peoples opinions and ratings of this game. To each their own I guess but this game unfortunately was not my cup of tea and I regret saying that because I was really looking forward to finally playing this game .… Expand
  4. Mclovin1313
    Jun 14, 2012
    5
    The one thing that came to my mind with the 20 hours I spent with the saboteur was unfinished. Everything in this game down to the a.i. just says that Pandemic studio needed more time to complete this game. For the most part the story is o.k. for a video game. A simple revenge tale. What makes the game so interesting is the art direction the choose to take. The map starts black and whiteThe one thing that came to my mind with the 20 hours I spent with the saboteur was unfinished. Everything in this game down to the a.i. just says that Pandemic studio needed more time to complete this game. For the most part the story is o.k. for a video game. A simple revenge tale. What makes the game so interesting is the art direction the choose to take. The map starts black and white much like how Frank Miller's Sin CIty. As you give the resistance more hope by doing missions the game world turns into color. That's all that's really good with the game. The missions are repetitive. The final stages are the cliche take out alot of enemies (even know you could have gone through the game to this point with just sneaking) the game makes you take out alot of enemies towards the end. Thats also another complaint the stealth is so bad. They want you to pick up a uniform and be disguised but the only problem is that it doesn't work. You cant be in the radius of other soldiers while your in the disguise then whats the point of having the option. A truly worthless part of the game. A mediocre effort all in all. I really wish they would have had more time to play test it.… Expand
  5. bobbsyw
    Sep 5, 2010
    6
    Not especially bad, but not that good either. Disappointing more than anything. It feels unfinished, and there are so many glitches and little annoyances - like the underdeveloped stealth mode and the tedium of climbing buildings. I played it through, more out of sheer bloody-mindedness than anything else.
  6. ChristopherW
    Dec 16, 2009
    6
    It's sad to see that such a promising game didn't quite make it. Honestly what it came down to was that the game just wasn't polished in any way. It felt like no one went back and got rid of all the annoying bugs, and no one fine tuned the incredibly bad enemy AI. Honestly, we all know why this game wasn't polished before release, if Pandemic hadn't been disbanded It's sad to see that such a promising game didn't quite make it. Honestly what it came down to was that the game just wasn't polished in any way. It felt like no one went back and got rid of all the annoying bugs, and no one fine tuned the incredibly bad enemy AI. Honestly, we all know why this game wasn't polished before release, if Pandemic hadn't been disbanded they would have probably pushed the games release back a few months to fix this issues and make this a truly great game. It's sad to see EA ruin another great game, but EA will be EA.… Expand
  7. RobR
    Dec 8, 2009
    6
    It is fun, but there is just something missing. The game feels unpolished. It is fun, but you find yourself laughing at the stupid glitches, horrible AI, and inconsistency.
  8. sityoazzdown
    May 18, 2012
    5
    ehh. this game was just boring imo. I mean it's playable, but I just didn't have the drive after a few hours of gameplay, but that's just my opinion.
  9. Syriamn
    Mar 10, 2013
    7
    Saboteur is sort of GTA meets Assassins Creed which is to say that lacks originality. That doesn´t mean it's not a good game. "Au contraire". The formula works pretty well and the time setting in WW2 occupied Paris is excellent. The storyline is not great but interesting enough. The historical period makes the story pretty easy too. The hero works against the nazis and the rest is verySaboteur is sort of GTA meets Assassins Creed which is to say that lacks originality. That doesn´t mean it's not a good game. "Au contraire". The formula works pretty well and the time setting in WW2 occupied Paris is excellent. The storyline is not great but interesting enough. The historical period makes the story pretty easy too. The hero works against the nazis and the rest is very predictible. The only negative is the overwhelmong amount of freeplay events. About 1.000!!! After a while it becomes way too repetitive. Still a must!!!… Expand
  10. JalexD
    Dec 9, 2009
    6
    I'm really very curious to see what the reviews are like for this game once they all come in. This title sounded extremely promising when I first heard about it, but the actual execution is a great fall from it's potential. Not only that, but the gameplay is nearly identical to the 'Godfather' games, only with a much stronger emphasis on climbing and mass destruction. I'm really very curious to see what the reviews are like for this game once they all come in. This title sounded extremely promising when I first heard about it, but the actual execution is a great fall from it's potential. Not only that, but the gameplay is nearly identical to the 'Godfather' games, only with a much stronger emphasis on climbing and mass destruction. And in my opinion, the 'Godfather' games are actually superior. The story, voice acting, atmosphere are all mediocre at best and oftentimes sub-par. This mostly stems from the developers apparent desire to turn a story about Nazi-occupied Paris into a Steven Seagal film. These elements make up a mostly bland experience, but I still give it a slightly above-average score for the times when it does get close to it's potential.… Expand
  11. FPSMaster
    Jan 19, 2010
    7
    I knew I was making a mistake buying this, but I let my boredom, love of Pandemic's first release (Full Spectrum Warrior) & my sadness of this being their final game get the best of me. The game doesn't do anything terribly wrong, but it doesn't excell at anything either. Graphics are extremely outdated just like their earlier Mercenaries 2. The controls are clunky. The I knew I was making a mistake buying this, but I let my boredom, love of Pandemic's first release (Full Spectrum Warrior) & my sadness of this being their final game get the best of me. The game doesn't do anything terribly wrong, but it doesn't excell at anything either. Graphics are extremely outdated just like their earlier Mercenaries 2. The controls are clunky. The climbing is slow & maddening. The driving is awful & handles very poorly. The missions are your standard Mercenaries missions with only a WW2 twist differentiating them. The film noir look is unique but makes everything too dark to appreciate it. Overall, this is just Mercenaries 2 in a different time period & it's just as outdated, half-assed & disappointing. This was Pandemic's last game & they went out with a fizzle. They're always remembered for Mercenaries & Battlefront, but I'll remember them for their first & most original, unique & best game that has always been universally ignored by the masses, Full Spectrum Warrior. RIP… Expand
  12. ReaIistiC
    Oct 17, 2012
    6
    Great game , and lots of fun involved in it but it lacks in alot of stuff. they could of made this game amazing! the storyline and the setting is amazing.
  13. tsakiym
    May 12, 2015
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I do not have to say anything more. But i need to write one hundred and fifty characters. i think my score can describe it............................… Expand
  14. web10177
    Oct 10, 2022
    5
    When starting this game and playing the first hour, you were given all the positives and negatives of this game right away. For the positives, the art direction with black and white concept was interesting and served a purpose. WW2 era occupied France's theme and the environment was nicely designed also, but that's where the positives quite ended. The game seems unfinished and has severalWhen starting this game and playing the first hour, you were given all the positives and negatives of this game right away. For the positives, the art direction with black and white concept was interesting and served a purpose. WW2 era occupied France's theme and the environment was nicely designed also, but that's where the positives quite ended. The game seems unfinished and has several bugs, especially in the cutscenes. Game graphics and mechanics are quite dated and its not fluid, but rather slow. The A.I needs a lot of improvement and there quite a lot of issues when trying to stealth during missions. Speaking of the missions, they are not properly designed and still needed a lot of improvement. The mission tasks are clear but how you go to accomplish those missions is not properly executed. On paper, it may sound good, but it still lacks a lot of things. The story may be a simple revenge story, but how the story progresses oftentimes doesn't make sense and doesn't look good. If the Pandemic studios weren't shut down when the game came out, surely improvements could be made.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

88
#88 Best PS3 Game of 2009
18
#18 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2009
41
#41 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2009

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 54 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 54
  3. Negative: 0 out of 54
  1. PSX Extreme
    80
    The characters are interesting, and so the story is more rewarding than you would imagine. Yes, there are some control issues, but they aren't terrible enough to disregard the game.
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  2. Play Magazine
    85
    Pandemic delivers one of their best efforts, offering an experience that innovates both the sandbox and WWII genres. It’s not without its flaws, but its slick action, cinematic style, and colorful characters rise above its shortcomings.
  3. Extreme Gamer
    70
    Pandemic's effort is commendable, but The Saboteur feels like it had a saboteur of its own lurking in the code. No matter how many times I came back to The Saboteur, or how badly I wanted to love the game, the unrefined gameplay became less, and less tolerable.
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