Developed by: Telltale Games with additional work from Gearbox Software
Published by: 2K Games
Reviewed on: PlayStation 3 (Also available on Android, iOS, Windows , OS X, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One)
But at least he could laugh
Atlas Mugged is the second chapter in Telltales’ newer series. The first episode Zer0 Sum was great. It did a great job of establishing a host of new characters (with an awesome cameo from an existing one), establishing them within a chaotic scary world, and setting them off on an unlikely adventure. With a goal in hand, our motley crew begins their journey as a team…..but how does it pan out?
Never felt so alive!
After escaping death from the Psycho Race at the end of the last episode, the crew is presented with a map and a relic that gives them very little to work with. Rhys has a new problem as well. Handsome Jack, the antagonist from Borderlands 2 has now been uploaded into Rhys’ cyber-brain. Jack adds an extra layer of tension and paranoia since only Rhys can see him. We are then lead through a very explosive chase scene where Quick Time Events show up in spades. This leads to the group being broken up and the story takes a more Dynamic Duo approach. To avoid spoilers I will not speak any more than that about the story but I assure you it’s good even if it’s a bit short. There are no lack of themes to explore in this episode. A lack of trust begins to develop among our protagonists. The two groups being separated allows the characters like Rhys and Vaughn to develop an even tighter brotherly bonds. While on the other side Fiona and Sasha have touching moments that really makes them believable as sisters.
“It’s my story.”
The content of the story is surprisingly meaty despite the fact that this episode goes by in flash. The action scenes are intense and fast paced, the slower moments are nothing to sneer at either. I found the segments involving Project Gortys to be rather intriguing. I really do wonder what’s at the end of the breadcrumb trail and how our ragtag group will get there. Adding Handsome Jack and Vasquez back into the mix certainly helps add to both the tension and the comedy. The voice acting is solid with such a diverse cast. All of the characters’ quirks and personalities are fleshed out nicely. If only the games technical issues didn’t interrupt some of the fantastic moments.
Quick draw is a bit exaggerated
While every other part of the game feels like it has some serious panache, the game suffers from the same problems Episode 1 did in the technical department. The game’s frame rate has serious dips. This brings out an audio issue as well that pops up, since it causes the audio to repeat and play catch up. This occurred twice during my playthrough and is really not acceptable. I noticed the button responsiveness also had hints of lag. I played this on a PlayStation 3, a console that has been around for more than 9 years. Optimization really shouldn’t be this bad at this point in the console’s life time, which really stings because the rest of the experience is great despite these glaring issues.
