This is the factor about The Factor: Remastered; it is nonetheless very a lot 2002’s The Factor. Which is both a great factor or a foul factor, relying on how a lot you want your The Factor.
2002’s The Factor, you see, which was developed by Laptop Artworks and primarily based on the intensely attractive Kurt Russell film, The Factor — itself primarily based on a novella that is not referred to as The Factor — is an actual combined bag of a sport, reality be advised. It units its stall out impressively, digging into the creeping concern and slowly rising paranoia of the traditional film, supplying you with some mild squad management and an intriguing concern/belief system, while presenting its story in environs that, while definitely now aged, nonetheless completely nail the vibe of the factor (did not even imply that one). However! It additionally falls aside fairly badly for the second stretch of its slight working time.
Let’s follow the positives for now, although. This can be a sport that is at all times had its presentation nailed down, and that aspect of the expertise solely will get higher with the maestros at Nightdive on remastering duties. We already know this crew does stellar work (we would positive like to see their magnificent System Shock remake on Swap), and this time round isn’t any completely different, fortunately. The Factor: Remastered is a slick and crisp revisit to Nineteen Eighties Antarctica. It controls completely, it is bought movement controls, HD Rumble, totally mappable choices on your controller settings and sensitivities, and all of the nips and tucks you’d anticipate to make sure that you are getting the unique imaginative and prescient, offered in addition to it may be.
The graphics have been cleaned up and enhanced, in fact, with flashier character fashions and textures. Nightdive has even hand-crafted some animations, in addition to presenting up to date lighting and atmospheric results. Antialiasing and depth-of-field results make the reduce on this Swap model, too, so we have got a handsome sport (for its period) that is now simpler than ever on the previous eyeballs. Oh, and we get achievements, which is at all times a reasonably large plus on Nintendo’s console.
One fly within the ointment that we did discover on this model (compared to Xbox, no less than) is that the loading instances on Swap generally is a little irritating. They’re approach longer than we anticipated on a title this previous, even on ageing {hardware}. It is not a dealbreaker in any approach, however a disgrace they cannot be shorter on such an previous sport, remastered or not.
So it is all good on a technical degree, barring just a few loading screens. It runs very properly on Nintendo’s console general, feeling clean as a hideously mutated child’s backside, and for the primary two or three hours it is nicely value settling into. Even now, some 22 years down the road, it holds your consideration in a powerful begin that asks you to make use of your mind a bit as you band collectively in opposition to the weather, clear up some fairly first rate puzzles, and get all wrapped up within the suspense of gaining the belief of your comrades, while additionally attending to take pleasure in some sweaty moments from the films – which we can’t spoil right here, simply in case.
Kicking off, all the pieces appears arrange for nice success. You will want to observe your temperature as you sprint from constructing to constructing, watch stress ranges, (do not act loopy in entrance of your squad), use a hypo gun to settle nerves, and dish out instructions to repair blown fuses, open doorways, heal up, and make sense of what is been happening. All of this early stuff is nice, particularly when it appears and feels this good, and busying your self discovering keys or studying paperwork to glean clues on the best way to transfer ahead is the sort of old-school leisure we’re 100% down for.
Nonetheless — and it is a large nevertheless, sadly — that is additionally a sport that falls flat on its ass in its second half. It is not an unusual state of affairs, particularly for the period, {that a} licensed motion sport begins out with a good premise, neatly utilising features of the film, earlier than giving in to the temptation to only add a lot of weapons and issues to shoot at, but it surely actually stings right here. In the event that they’d simply caught to being quietly creative we might have been taking a look at an all-time horror traditional. Oh nicely.
Yep, as soon as the weapons come out, as soon as the larger enemies arrive and the worm turns to a moderately shoddy try at blockbuster motion, it by no means recovers. This was nearly 7/10 stuff again on the time, an pleasurable experience for a few hours for those who have been actually into the film. Now, twenty years later, and even with a really skilful remaster to point out off its absolute best bits in one of the best mild attainable, it is a exhausting factor to advocate to anybody aside from avid followers of the supply materials, or these of us who’ve fond recollections of taking part in the unique. We’ll say, taking part in on the Swap feels nicer than on a giant console, it is all simply that bit extra charming in moveable mode, but it surely’s nonetheless a reasonably exhausting promote.
It is a messy expertise at its core, and in these stretches of always-poor and now badly-aged motion — which solely take over because the story rolls into the ultimate third — the sport completely fails to stay entertaining. There is no silver lining. As soon as the wheels begin to come off and it prioritises capturing bland enemies over revelling in its uniquely atmospheric concern/belief system, it is toast.
Properly, that was a bleak ending. Form of just like the film.
Conclusion
The Factor: Remastered is one other splendid remaster from Nightdive. There’s completely no challenge with the enhancements, management tweaks, and different work that is been accomplished right here; it is the sport itself, sadly, that for nicely over half of its working time leaves a lot to be desired. A superb begin, one which digs into the paranoia and concern of the traditional film with a handful of distinctive mechanics, is all too quickly wasted as stress offers technique to sloppy gunfights that are not enjoyable, regardless of how clean they now play or good they appear. It is definitely nonetheless a curiosity, and followers of the film or returning gamers will benefit from the nostalgia. However past that, it would not warrant a hearty advice.
