A cheap Gears clone, but is it a good one?
There is a lot of debate on how we judge a budget game; it would seem unfair to put them face-to-face with blockbuster AAA hits, but credit needs to be given to the time and love applied to a good indie title. It is certainly evident that smaller scale games can pack a serious punch (see World of Goo or Braid), but many fall by the wayside too. Scourge Project set many people’s hopes high, by licensing the Unreal Engine and offering an interesting premise, hopefully pulling the genre away from Gears of War clones and into something a bit deeper. As a third person shooter, the GeoW comparisons were inevitable (particularly considering Gears was a showcase for the Unreal engine); unfortunately, the developers seemed unable to do anything but copy Epics masterpiece, and ended up with a poorer product as a result.
So, Scourge Project is an episodic, third person shooter, utilising a cover system and basic teamwork, as you and your squad (Echo Squad) take on some evil corporations and their monstrous oddities. Meathead grunty soldiers abound, and the animations appear to be ripped straight from Gears. Actually, so do a lot of the characters, the basic plot, the weapons, and the tactics, although they lose a lot of the charm of Epic�s masterpiece. 
Graphically, it isn�t too bad: the Unreal Engine is a solid base, and the designers added considerable more colour than we are used to in your average UE game. The level of detail is high, if a little generic, and some thought has clearly gone into the small touches on things like armour and guns. Actual design is good too: it is clear what everything and everyone is, and you will never mistake a pillar for a bad guy. Unfortunately, the cut scenes are a completely different story: grainy, low resolution images abound, and detract from the visual appeal of the main game. It is astounding the decision was made not to use the in-game engine; instead, you need to squint out of one eye to see what is going on.
The sound lets the side down too: the voice acting is basic, and yet they still couldn�t quite nail “shouty, grunty soldier”, and the weapons are indistinct. Strings of music punctuate the gameplay, then get forgotten quickly, and radio conversations are over filtered, rendering them somewhat unintelligible. Also, why does the game slow to a crawl every time someone speaks?
The background stories start well: you pick a character, and learn their sorry tale as each episode progresses. Some work could have gone into distinguishing the play styles of each grunt, but the history of your soldier is a nice touch. However, the actual main tale suffers two big setbacks; one, it starts generic, then slides into stupidity (I honestly felt that my guys were only “good” because the game told me so); and two, no-one ever fleshes out anything. Why are we attacking this military base? Because we were told to. Why are we placing our trust in a borderline cackling madman at a desk? Because we were told to. Throw in some lacklustre attempts at character bonding and an inability to build depth in a character, and SP kills any feelings of connection with plot, squad, or even coherence.
the developers should kick themselves for an opportunity missed
And then, it just gets worse: bad glitches abound, and team AI is truly terrible. Every single firefight will start with at least one squad member running into a hail of enemy fire, then bleating for help throughout the ensuing battle. And best of luck if you fall yourself: team mates will jiggle ineffectively nearby, like an indecisive grandma thinking she might need a wee, before taking a shot to the head to end their misery. You will truly wish the enemy was on your side instead of against you.
Well, never mind, because multiplayer and co-op should redeem the title somewhat, right? Wrong. Apart from major connection issues reducing co-op games to joyless judderfests (although comically turning a serious combat sim into a funny mockery of a 90s rave) and disconnection screens, actually playing reveals the biggest flaw of all: the game is stupidly easy. Yes, your AI idiots actually covered up the fact that the enemy wasn�t much more intelligent themselves, as each fight becomes a game of “spread-and-shoot”. Bosses become cannon fodder, and enemy squads get dispatched before they let off a shot; hardly the stuff of epic battles. Multiplayer offers no improvement; more connection issues, and bad balancing ensure all matches become a race to the big guns, before descending into melee contests out of frustration and boredom.
The real shame is, with a bit more love and attention, Scourge could have lived up to the “Gears-lite” title it so obviously was aiming for. A few patches to the bugs, and a smarter AI would have glossed over the story somewhat, although really an overhaul of the script would have been even better. A severe lack of attention to detail and final polish really put the final nail in the coffin here, and the developers should kick themselves for an opportunity missed. The uninspiring gameplay quickly loses all but the hardiest of gamers, and the title quickly goes from acceptable budget title to an unacceptable mess, with the price feeling as though it is only justified by the game engine. And we have too many UE3 games which offer far more for the money, causing Scourge Project to get lost in the crowd.
The Bad: Poor story; bad glitches and bugs; repetitive, with terrible AI; awful cutscenes, both visually and storywise; multiplayer unbalanced and nearly unplayable; a poor Gears rip off.
