Damnation was on hand at PAX and we spent a little hands on time with the 3rd person shooter.
The first thing noticeable in damnation is how the environments look; while Codemasters was trying to go for a cyberpunk feel, the game looks like a cross between cyberpunk and Duke Nukem, not that that’s a bad thing. Your character, a cross between Duke Nukem and Indiana Jones, does everything from shooting, to grappling, to swinging across ledges.
While the environment allowed for some cool interaction, the controls were somewhat confusing. Picking up weapons was somewhat difficult (and we were told the game was buggy in that area), getting up poles and walls was hard unless you were exactly in the place you needed to be, and overall keeping your character going straight was impossible.
Combat wise, the game offers the normal fare; Sniper rifles, machine guns, shotguns, etc. The only two guns that really did anything though were the machine gun and the sniper rifle, everything else was somewhat useless and difficult to use in-game.
It’s difficult to see where this title will fit come Christmas time when it is expected to be released. With all it’s nagging problems, this isn’t looking too good.