.gif)
Breakdown (video game)
Encyclopedia
Breakdown is a first-person action game released by Namco in 2004 for the Microsoft
Xbox
console. Views on the game are mixed, as it sold unspectacularly, and was criticized for the flawed gameplay mechanics. Despite the shortcomings, it received critical acclaim for using the first-person perspective to achieve a higher level of emergence and a deeper method of storytelling than most games.
, but integrates the experiences of a fighting game
into the experience as well as using auto-lock-on for shooting enemies. The viewpoint never leaves the perspective of the player, and interaction with objects, reloading of guns, and the impact of hitting the floor are all seen through this first-person perspective. Unlike other first-person shooters, interaction with objects is also all done in a realistic manner in Breakdown; ammunition is picked up by looking down and grabbing it with your arm instead of walking over it, similarly doors are opened by grabbing the handle, key cards used by swiping them over a scanner, ladders by using the arms for climbing and many others. Health and energy are replenished by consuming energy bars, sodas and hamburgers, which the player must eat while remaining in first person.
Derrick Cole (Steve Staley
), the protagonist, has had his memory erased by a severe reaction to an injection of T’langen, a fluid recovered from Site Zero intended to create supersoldier
s. He finds himself in a recovery facility near Site Zero at the start of the war between the humans and Nexus (Beau Billingslea
) which spills into the training facility. He is rescued from enemy soldiers by a woman named Alex Hendrickson (Jessica Straus
) who appears to know him and is shocked and horrified to know of his amnesia. As they escape, Derrick begins to develop incredible strength to fight the T’lan and soldiers alike. They escape to the research facility where they learn that Nexus is launching a full scale attack on humanity using crystal rockets in Site Zero to move their troops. Derrick and Alex must stop them.
Once inside Site Zero, Alex is captured by a powerful T’lan named Solus (Crispin Freeman
). As Derrick makes his way through Site Zero alone, he encounters Stefania Wojinski (Wendee Lee
), a scientist specialising in memory loss and recovery. She is killed moments later by the enemy soldiers after handing over the disk they demanded. This forces Derrick to take the stairs to the silos using up valuable time. He arrives too late to find Gianni de Luca's (Bob Papenbrook
) squad decimated by the enemy with himself moments away from death. The T'lan rockets are launched, sending T’lan all over the world. Derrick journeys into the heart Site Zero, to stop Nexus the only way left, destroying it, but is challenged by Solus. During the fight, Solus kills Alex, and Derrick is almost killed when a nuclear strike launched by the army reacts with Solus' shield and sends him fifteen years into the future.
Derrick awakes inside a memory chamber designed by the late Stefania Wojinski. This reveals the entire game prior to this moment was a journey through his memories and explains away several scenes and materialisation of Wojinski's cat.
Here Derrick find himself in a dystopian future controlled by the T’lan. A group of human scientists explain that Derrick will experience a Pendulum Effect, throwing him back into the present. This will allow him to change the future, preventing the launching of the rockets. Journeying through the complex to reach Glen, Derrick encounters Alex who doesn't recognize him. Both race to meet Glen who reveals that although they failed to stop the launch 15 years prior, what they had was time, enough time to perfect pure T'langen which will allow Derrick to reach his full potential. As the Pendulum Effect take hold Alex accompanies Derrick back to the present knowing full well that she would die. Through the tunnel that the Pendulum Effect brought them, they are both separated and will appear in different times. This explains Alex's knowledge of the facility and the role Derrick must accomplish.
This time around, Derrick saves Stefania before she is thrown off the building and helps the military to destroy the rockets. When the time comes to challenge Solus, Derrick defeats him and saves Alex thwarting her destiny to die. He then goes to defeat Nexus, ending the T’lan threat once and for all. Derrick and Alex escape from Site Zero as it collapses in on itself.
In the helicopter above the site with Stefania and Gianni, Alex questions the future that lies ahead noting that as she still exists, the future has branched off into two; one with the T'lan and the other without. As the Pendulum Effect begins to throw Alex back into the future, she leaps out of the helicopter hovering and states that only she should return. Here the player is given the choice of having Derrick stay in his own time allowing Alex to die in hers, or to follow her into the future resulting in the real ending of the game.
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
console. Views on the game are mixed, as it sold unspectacularly, and was criticized for the flawed gameplay mechanics. Despite the shortcomings, it received critical acclaim for using the first-person perspective to achieve a higher level of emergence and a deeper method of storytelling than most games.
Gameplay
Breakdown is unique in that it is technically categorized as a first-person shooterFirst-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
, but integrates the experiences of a fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
into the experience as well as using auto-lock-on for shooting enemies. The viewpoint never leaves the perspective of the player, and interaction with objects, reloading of guns, and the impact of hitting the floor are all seen through this first-person perspective. Unlike other first-person shooters, interaction with objects is also all done in a realistic manner in Breakdown; ammunition is picked up by looking down and grabbing it with your arm instead of walking over it, similarly doors are opened by grabbing the handle, key cards used by swiping them over a scanner, ladders by using the arms for climbing and many others. Health and energy are replenished by consuming energy bars, sodas and hamburgers, which the player must eat while remaining in first person.
Plot
Humanity has discovered an underground complex in Japan built by unknown forces and controlled by a being called Nexus who rules over the T'lan inhabitants. The humans name the complex Site Zero, and set up a research facility to study the complex. There are skirmishes between the humans and T’lan, but nothing serious until the game begins.Derrick Cole (Steve Staley
Steve Staley
Steve Staley is a voice actor who is also known as Steve Cannon. He is represented by Arlene Thornton & Associates.When he is not working in the booth, he teaches a voice acting class at Kalmenson & Kalmenson in Burbank, California....
), the protagonist, has had his memory erased by a severe reaction to an injection of T’langen, a fluid recovered from Site Zero intended to create supersoldier
Supersoldier
Supersoldier is a term often used to describe a soldier that operates beyond normal human limits or abilities. Supersoldiers are common in science fiction literature, films, TV programs, computer, conspiracy theories, and video games, but have also made appearances in other related genres, such as...
s. He finds himself in a recovery facility near Site Zero at the start of the war between the humans and Nexus (Beau Billingslea
Beau Billingslea
Beau M. Billingslea is an American actor and voice actor. He is best known as the voice of Jet Black from the popular anime Cowboy Bebop. In addition to voice acting, Billingslea has appeared in many popular TV series as a prolific guest actor...
) which spills into the training facility. He is rescued from enemy soldiers by a woman named Alex Hendrickson (Jessica Straus
Jessica Straus
Jessica Strauss may refer to:* Jessica Straus * Jessica Straus...
) who appears to know him and is shocked and horrified to know of his amnesia. As they escape, Derrick begins to develop incredible strength to fight the T’lan and soldiers alike. They escape to the research facility where they learn that Nexus is launching a full scale attack on humanity using crystal rockets in Site Zero to move their troops. Derrick and Alex must stop them.
Once inside Site Zero, Alex is captured by a powerful T’lan named Solus (Crispin Freeman
Crispin Freeman
Crispin McDougal Freeman is an American voice actor, and Mythology scholar. His roles have included Alucard from Hellsing, Kyon from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Karasu from Noein, Togusa from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, as Holland Novak from Eureka Seven, Touga Kiriyu in...
). As Derrick makes his way through Site Zero alone, he encounters Stefania Wojinski (Wendee Lee
Wendee Lee
Wendee Lee is an American voice actress. While she has done voice work for many video games as well as several episodes in the Power Rangers franchise, she is particularly prolific in the dubbing of anime. As of April 2009, with 223 credits to her name, she has more credits in this medium than any...
), a scientist specialising in memory loss and recovery. She is killed moments later by the enemy soldiers after handing over the disk they demanded. This forces Derrick to take the stairs to the silos using up valuable time. He arrives too late to find Gianni de Luca's (Bob Papenbrook
Bob Papenbrook
Robert DeWayne "Bob" Papenbrook was an American voice actor. Fellow voice actors often nicknamed him "Pappy". He was very well known in the worlds of anime and video game voice-overs for his voice acting of "gruff" characters...
) squad decimated by the enemy with himself moments away from death. The T'lan rockets are launched, sending T’lan all over the world. Derrick journeys into the heart Site Zero, to stop Nexus the only way left, destroying it, but is challenged by Solus. During the fight, Solus kills Alex, and Derrick is almost killed when a nuclear strike launched by the army reacts with Solus' shield and sends him fifteen years into the future.
Derrick awakes inside a memory chamber designed by the late Stefania Wojinski. This reveals the entire game prior to this moment was a journey through his memories and explains away several scenes and materialisation of Wojinski's cat.
Here Derrick find himself in a dystopian future controlled by the T’lan. A group of human scientists explain that Derrick will experience a Pendulum Effect, throwing him back into the present. This will allow him to change the future, preventing the launching of the rockets. Journeying through the complex to reach Glen, Derrick encounters Alex who doesn't recognize him. Both race to meet Glen who reveals that although they failed to stop the launch 15 years prior, what they had was time, enough time to perfect pure T'langen which will allow Derrick to reach his full potential. As the Pendulum Effect take hold Alex accompanies Derrick back to the present knowing full well that she would die. Through the tunnel that the Pendulum Effect brought them, they are both separated and will appear in different times. This explains Alex's knowledge of the facility and the role Derrick must accomplish.
This time around, Derrick saves Stefania before she is thrown off the building and helps the military to destroy the rockets. When the time comes to challenge Solus, Derrick defeats him and saves Alex thwarting her destiny to die. He then goes to defeat Nexus, ending the T’lan threat once and for all. Derrick and Alex escape from Site Zero as it collapses in on itself.
In the helicopter above the site with Stefania and Gianni, Alex questions the future that lies ahead noting that as she still exists, the future has branched off into two; one with the T'lan and the other without. As the Pendulum Effect begins to throw Alex back into the future, she leaps out of the helicopter hovering and states that only she should return. Here the player is given the choice of having Derrick stay in his own time allowing Alex to die in hers, or to follow her into the future resulting in the real ending of the game.
Main characters
- Derrick Cole: He awakens in a strange research facility with no memories of his past and learns his name from a researcher working at the lab. Derrick is the only survivor of 10 test subjects of the Alpha Project (whether they were volunteers or not is never fully explained). These test subjects were administered large doses of T'langen injected directly into their bloodstream. Because of this, his body evolves into a form, capable of fighting the T'Lan.
- Derrick was formerly a soldier who has witnessed real combat prior to the game. This explains the out-of-place environments that he experiences--such as the desert in the corridors--which are fragments of older memories used to fill the gaps in his patchy memories of the T'Lan offensive.
- Derrick is skilled in both hand to hand combat and firearms.
- He is voiced by Steve StaleySteve StaleySteve Staley is a voice actor who is also known as Steve Cannon. He is represented by Arlene Thornton & Associates.When he is not working in the booth, he teaches a voice acting class at Kalmenson & Kalmenson in Burbank, California....
.
- Alex Hendrickson: A mysterious woman who seems to know Derrick. She has amazing physical capabilities and can fight with both guns and knives; one knife which she always carry allow her to break through the T'lan's shields. A very strong willed woman, she never gives up easily.
- She is a member of the facility's Beta Project, which creates results gradually over many years, as opposed to a single injection. This project proved more successful than the previous one involving Derrick.
- In Derricks memories, while journeying through the facility he saw a very young Alex as a test subject in a room along with a number of other children.
- She is voiced by Jessica StrausJessica StrausJessica Strauss may refer to:* Jessica Straus * Jessica Straus...
- Glen Ogawa: A Japanese-American professor of medicine. He was conducting biological research in Australia but was banished from the medical community because he created a human clone. He is now involved in a highly classified project.
- Glen is the scientist who spearheaded the experiments into augmentating soldiers into supersoldiers with the military's backing. He is the one who processes the T'langen given to Derrick.
- He is voiced by Michael McConnohieMichael McConnohieMichael D. McConnohie is a voice actor and is the President of the Nevada-based Voxworks voice-acting corporation. He is known for his recognizable deep booming voice and is generally known for playing more charismatic characters...
.
- Stefania Wojinski: A visiting professor from PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
who is a specialist in human memory mechanisms. She has not given up on her years of research although her recent project was canceled, apparently titled 'Project Breakdown'.
- After funding was cut from her projects, Stefania soon turned traitor deleting the data from her employers hard drives and making off with the originals.
- Stefania owns a black and white cat who seemingly appears in Derricks recollected memories.
- She is voiced by Wendee LeeWendee LeeWendee Lee is an American voice actress. While she has done voice work for many video games as well as several episodes in the Power Rangers franchise, she is particularly prolific in the dubbing of anime. As of April 2009, with 223 credits to her name, she has more credits in this medium than any...
.
- First Lieutenant Gianni de Luca: An Italian-American United States Marine. He leads an elite unit of soldiers that specialize in top secret missions. Gianni has a foul mouth, but is a good person with a passionate personality that keeps his cool at critical moments.
- Although Gianni is deployed by the same army who are tracking down Derrick, he answers to a higher authority tasked with a secret mission requiring him and his men to reach Nexus and prevent the launch of the T'lan rockets.
- He is voiced by Bob PapenbrookBob PapenbrookRobert DeWayne "Bob" Papenbrook was an American voice actor. Fellow voice actors often nicknamed him "Pappy". He was very well known in the worlds of anime and video game voice-overs for his voice acting of "gruff" characters...
.
- Solus: Solus is the T'lan leader, being the physical avatar of Nexus. He is incredibly powerful as both Alex and Derrick are constantly on the run from him. He first meets them in the Botanical Research Facility, incapacitating both Alex and Derrick with ease, nearly killing them both, but leaves them alive for unknown reasons. He later meets Derrick underground, and Derrick can only run from him.
- In Site Zero, he kidnaps Alex and interrogates her. As Derrick frees her, he fights Derrick and seems to be defeated, but gets up with enormous strength and effortlessly defeats him and then kills Alex, after a nuclear strike, a reaction between his shield energy and the nuclear explosion sends Derrick into the future, which may or may not have killed him.
- He is voiced by Crispin FreemanCrispin FreemanCrispin McDougal Freeman is an American voice actor, and Mythology scholar. His roles have included Alucard from Hellsing, Kyon from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Karasu from Noein, Togusa from Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, as Holland Novak from Eureka Seven, Touga Kiriyu in...