Project Eden

Ferrago.co.uk evaluate the latest action-adventure from the home of Ms. Croft...

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It seems a long time ago that Core Design last treated to us to a high-profile release; and an even longer time still since I recall Project Eden being first announced. Needless to say this PS2 / PC team-based action-adventure title is rather delayed to say the least; though fortunately it’s also rather impressive, proving that Core Design have still got a flair of creativity up their sleeves after years of Tomb Raider sequels.

Project Eden is set in a wonderfully detailed and rich metropolis of the future; an environment that is fleshed out from the outset with the cinematic and immersive opening cut-scene, which sees the city living in vivid detail and the plot kicked-off with tension and anticipation. This detail and immersion is continued into the single player game as the excellent mission introductions, add further to the plot which is furthered brilliantly in the actual missions through the discoveries of your team and the on-screen updates, not to mention meetings with the levels inhabitants.

All of which leaves this third-person action title with a very impressive story and world which Core have clearly made great efforts in bringing to life. The game’s mission-based structure assists this, and the introductions using in-game graphics give a feeling of seamless progression, assisted by the occasional scripted-sequences during missions (a la Half-Life), which add weight to general continuity of the plot. The missions themselves seem to have more of a puzzle-solving, as opposed to action, leaning, an idea prevalent in the ability to respawn members of your squad; all of which whose individual abilities are required to progress. Throughout the missions you can switch between the members of the team at your whim, depending on whose skills you deem needed, and much of the tactile elements of success in missions will come down to your choice of character.