Good, not great.
Having just finished Liberation and reading Alex's review - I agree with him. From the perspective of a first time "Creeder" (and someone hoping for a great Vita game), Liberation is just okay, and here's why:
The story is not clear - more than the grander Templar/Assassin framework - the on the ground, nuts and bolts story beats are muddled. Other than get to point "X" to do "Z," I was often left wondering "why." And not for lack of trying. To its credit, Liberation keeps an index on its major players that holds relevant and interesting information, but it does not go far enough. I am no dummy, however despite referencing that information and closely following dialogue, I was often left befuddled as to Aveline's intentions. Perhaps a mission recap or log would have helped keep Liberation's story in context, especially for the Vita, where gaming is more likely to take place in small (and sometimes disjointed) bites.
The upgrade system is not compelling. Actually, it is boring. As you progress you earn money and unlock weapons and costumes that can be purchased. The different costumes are merely cosmetic palette swaps. The weapons are meant to be the hanging fruit. Unfortunately, purchasing "better" weapons is unnecessary. For instance, I finished Liberation with little more than the standard fare and hardly struggled in combat. More likely than not, this is because of Liberation's (and the franchise's) combat system that places greater emphasis on counters than hack and slash kills. When all enemies are defeated in 1-2 post-counter hits regardless of the weapon, who needs to upgrade?
The Bayou (Liberation's free-roaming swamp that encompasses a good chunk of the story) also falls a little flat. In fact, it is a slog. It is slow to traverse (yes, I know it is a swamp) and, while large, its separate areas are not terribly distinct. The Bayou is also very brown, hazy, and muddy. In other words, ugly. The end result is an expansive but tedious environment. Unlike the other areas in Liberation, it just was a tad too frustrating to get from place to place, which made playing the Bayou less than fun.
By this point you may be wondering why I gave the game three stars considering I have only listed three negatives. Well, I liked the game for the same reasons Alex liked the game. The purpose of my review is only to flesh out some of the issues that made Liberation less than great for me. Do I recommend a purchase? Yes, but do not pay full-price like I did. Maybe it will be on sale for twenty dollars on Black Friday, and if so, buy it. The game is good, not great.
