Let’s face it: The Saboteur wasn’t on anyone’s immediate radar until creators Pandemic Studios got canned in late 2009. With virtually no hype and no marketing campaign, the circumstances surrounding the game’s final stages of development were more intriguing to most than the notion of actually playing the studio’s last project.

While the Pandemic brand lives on, the majority of its staff rushed to finish The Saboteur on time, only to be laid off days before its release. Some employees even went so far as to place a countdown clock in the building which predicted their job eliminations while others shook one last fist at the company who shook them off. Of course, the ultimate question was whether or not The Saboteur would be the doomed studio’s swan song or yet another of their current-gen disappointments.

The Saboteur’s main character is an Irish fugitive named Sean Devlin. Leading up to the events that sparked World War II and the Nazi invasion of France, Devlin is knee-deep in an exciting car racing league on the outskirts of Paris. Just when Devlin finds the edge he needs to win handily, a dangerous Nazi opponent named Kurt Dierker cheats Sean out of a victory. In an attempt to visit vengeance against Dierker, Devlin and his friend Jules find themselves captured inside a Nazi stronghold. Sean experiences a tragedy that forces him to flee the base and enter Paris. Unfortunately for him, the city is coming under attack by Nazi forces.

Sean lays low for several months, finding refuge in a brothel and bar called the Belle De Nuit. After a chance encounter with the leader of the French resistance, Devlin is given the opportunity to take revenge against the Nazi oppressors and assist in the liberation of France. Through his rebel connections, Sean gains access to black market gun-smugglers and vehicle supply stores, both of which come in handy when preparing for a large-scale assault.

Presentation is a definite strong suit for The Saboteur. In addition to the game’s slick menus, the biggest visual flourish comes in the form of a black-and-white effect in the game’s Nazi-occupied areas. Transitions from color to B&W occur when a sufficient number of enemies are killed and are extremely impressive during cinematic scenes, but lack fluidity during in-game moments. Think 2008’s Prince of Persia, just not as beautiful or powerful.

While liberating Paris and its surrounding countryside you’ll be expected to drive era-appropriate vehicles, climb up buildings, and jump from rooftop to rooftop. Locomotion within the game world is rather off-putting at first, as all vehicles have a similar feel and there’s a noticeable stiffness while climbing. It feels as though Pandemic was trying to squeeze too many game mechanics into The Saboteur instead of focusing on a specific element and refining it as well as possible.

Many larger assignments give you the choice between utilizing stealth by means of Nazi disguises or just blowing everything up. In my experience, both options ultimately boil down to gunfights and explosive escapes, so I’m not sure why the different approaches were offered if the outcomes were the same.

I found myself disliking the game’s beginning sequences, especially the lazy implementation of a tutorial system. Instead of guiding the player slowly through the gameplay functions, several series of abrupt and obnoxious ‘how-to’ screens are presented to you. The set of pages explaining how to setup and trigger an explosive is over five pages long and was poorly placed, as I had already performed that task in a previous mission. Fortunately, The Saboteur’s middle section was enjoyable and satisfying, driving steadily towards a bizarre and head-scratching final boss ‘battle.’

Aside from some frustrating missions and questionable design choices, The Saboteur is a good choice for a weekend ‘B-movie’ game rental. It can’t stand up to other games in the third-person action or open world genres, but I don’t consider that a problem. I think there’s a place for games such as The Saboteur or last year’s WET: they’re fun, flawed games that don’t require much thought or attention, but don’t warrant a full-price release. If we’re going with the ‘B-movie’ comparison, you wouldn’t pay $10.50 in the theater for a Steven Seagal action movie, right?

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Things We Liked: Fun side-story in a historical WWII setting. Solid game mechanics. Visually pleasing graphics and effects.

Things We Disliked: Slow beginning. Weak ending (Seriously? That was it?). Strange sound design. Awful tutorials. Missed opportunity with B&W transitions.

Target Audience: Gamers looking for a weekend time-killer. People who don’t need an Uncharted 2 every month. Fans of cheesy dialogue and unlikely events. Folks with a ‘thing’ for naughty Irish jerks.

(Originally Posted at Crush! Frag! Destroy! The Saboteur – Developer: Pandemic Studios. Publisher: Electronic Arts. Available on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 – PlayStation 3 version reviewed. New to CFD!’s reviews? Read our explanation here.)