Link: Co-Optimus Entry

Please keep all discussion of Damnation for the XBox 360 in this thread.

Anyone excited about this game? It doesn't seem to have had too much coverage in the build up to its release... perhaps it's been delayed too many times for people to care anymore.

I'm pretty curious, but also really disappointed that most sites covering it don't even mention co-op at all!! I really need to do more research on it I guess.

The game so far seems to be a bust for me, no system link so I was forced to play
the game via split screen but the gameplay so far is pure crap. The aiming is very shaky
the game has no hud indicators for any points of interest or anyway to basically know where your partner is when they go down. The graphics are bland so there isnt any distinction between floor and walls really.

It's too early to tell but so far Sacred 2 and this one have both been busts for me. I will go looking through the manual since I havent done that yet and go through the options screens to make sure I am not talking crap too soon but even then the cover system and the sense of action is a bore so far unlike terminator:salvation which has been a blast to play split screen on hard difficulty. It's a shame when a movie tie-in game
with no development time plays better than ones that have been in the works longer.

I imagine that movie tie in games have received far better funding for their short production span.

This looks likely to be a bit of a bodge job for my liking. I am likely to pick a couple of copies up from the bargain bins in a few months.

Hmm, this game is starting to sound like an idea that seemed great on paper...

I was hoping to snag this one from GameFly, but I didn't get it in my queue in time. Now I can wait and see the results from those who play it.

That's what I'm waiting for, but no-one seems to be getting it!!

This just arrived for me today (rented) If anyone has it and fancies some co-op, gimme a shout!

Nevermind. I have been playing it for about an hour, and it's just awful. Poor graphics, terrible aiming system. The jumping around platforming is ok, but the core gameplay is dire. I've played a few bad games in my time, and co-op can usually make it a bit more fun. But this is going straight back. My own fault really. The clue really is in the name. Hopefully they'll send me Sacred 2 next.

Wow, sorry to hear you used a rental on that Sonny. But on the plus side, you helped a lot of us avoid a bad game! If you do get Sacred 2, there are plenty of us to join up with, so make sure to hit that meet-up thread!

WARNING: Don't waste your money, time and life! Its shocking and appalling! You should get achievment points just for inserting this crap into your console. I can't even believe people would feel confident enough to put this out. Absolute crap and you have a fun time trying to figure out where your partner is (for revival). If and when you do...dead! The camera angles make it even more ridiculous. Graphics are a joke. The only redeeming quality about this game is when its not playing.

Wow! I'm glad I didn't give this much thought! Gonna take it off my list then

Remember, kids: Southpeak is where games go to die.

...still I too wanted to give it a try in coop...and wanted to rent a second DVD to play CoOP via System LINK...but do I get this right?? with the first one...the only option I get is SYSTEM LINK via XBOX-LIVE GOLD membership.... ...now why is that??...Never seen a game which hast to be connected online to play 2-player-OFFLINE-story-Coop!!!!??? What kind of sense does this make??

I feel a need to put in a good review for this.

I'll start by killing one of the main arguments against it. Once you get through the first level, you gain an ability that lets you not only see wherever your partner, allies, and enemies are (through any solid objects that happen to be in the way), but you can rez your partner/allies simply by looking at them with the ability active.

The aiming system isn't great, but it's not terrible either (Tip: Reduce the aim sensitivity to low). I've played much worse. Two things to remember though. First, the accuracy on the assault rifle/SMG that you start with is worse than any gun in any game I've ever played. Don't use it. Second, if you want to headshot someone with anything other than the sniper rifle, aim for the neck (just like Perfect Dark).

The game is more similar to Tomb Raider than Halo to be honest. 65% of the game is figuring out how to get from point A to point B. And then you pull out the sniper rifles, shotguns and railroad spike launchers (this replaces your pistol and is as fun as it sounds).

Split screen does make things a bit difficult in this game. Trying to find where "up" is when it sometimes involves wall jumping to a balcony is hard when you loose some of your vertical viewing area, but it's not unplayable.

The graphics seem to be hit or miss. The walls and background all seem underdone, but the characters and guns are very detailed. Definitely could be better, but I didn't find it to hinder my navigation of the levels at all.

One of the things I really enjoy is that at almost every turn, I ended up on the opposite end of where my partner did. There are usually at least 2 different ways to do almost everything, and in some cases more.

This game is not a typical shooter. Run n' gun will get you killed just as fast as it will in Gears of War. Moreso even since the melee combat isn't overly effective. (You may be able to do the Halo one-shot if you sneak up on people, I didn't try). Unlike Gears however, this game relies on being sneaky rather than using a fancy cover mechanic. There's even an achievement for taking people out without them noticing you.

I think the main problem with this game is that it doesn't tell you most of these things. It presents itself as a typical shooter, so that's what you gauge it as. Most of us have come to expect every shooter to be either SWAT team style cover mechanics, or action movie style hero. This is something else.

I admit, as a shooter it's mediocre, but then so is Mercenaries. I definitely recommend anyone who enjoys Tomb Raider, Prince of Persia, Splinter Cell, or Assassin's Creed to try this game, play it in co-op, and at least get through the second level before you judge it.

...so according to co-optimus this game hast SYSTEM LINK-coop...but there is only coop via xbox-live-gold ... is this right???

we were actually talking about the same issue with crackdown in another thread. it sounds like you're right, you have to both be logged into your gold account. however, you should try hooking up the 360's with a crossover cable or a switch that isn't connected to the net. that way you're not signed into XBL. i'm not sure if it will work but its worth a try. you really shouldn't need any kind of membership to do system link so if that's the case, M$ is really screwing up system link.

yes ..that was me too in that crackdown thread ... well it really doesnt make sense but its only possible via xbox live...when starting the coop-game it says: You need to be signed to xbox-live to use this function ...

actually i just checked the detail page on xbox.com... it doesn't appear to support system link. compare it to halo 3's for example:
xbox.com - damnation
xbox.com - halo 3

halo 3 says system link 2-16 and that line is absent from damnation's page. it seems odd to have co-op over XBL but not system link. although i'm not sure if halo 3 even has system link co-op since it says 2-16, that sounds like multiplayer.