Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ 1986-87 comic series Watchmen is one of the most revered graphic novels of all time. Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985, where Richard M. Nixon is still president, superheroes exist and helped America to victory in wars throughout the century until being outlawed in the late 70s. The story follows one of these costumed heroes, Rorschach, as he investigates the death of one of the government-sponsored heroes The Comedian. An adaptation of the book has just been released into theatres, and Warner Brothers is set on doing the tie-in thing with its downloadable episodic series Watchmen: The End is Nigh.

Warner Brothers has used Watchmen as a test to determine whether video game adaptations of films would benefit from downloadable releases to avoid rushing the game and producing a subpar product. The first chapter, The End is Nigh, has been planned to tie in with the cinematic release of the film, with a second part to follow when Watchmen hits DVD and Blu Ray later this year. That said, Warner and developer Deadline Games have produced one of the most impressive downloadable console games to date, though a lot of that cost is passed on to the consumer, with The End is Nigh download weighing in at 1.3GB, and setting players back a costly 1600 Microsoft Points ($AU26.40) or $AU23.95 on PlayStation Network.


Rorschach and Nite Owl II
The End is Nigh is not a direct adaptation of either the Watchmen film or the graphic novel. Instead, it is set roughly a decade earlier, in the era where the heroes were still active, and follows the activities of Rorschach and Nite Owl (the second one) when they were paired together (which is briefly mentioned in the book). The duo hear of an attempted break out at Stern Penitentiary, and upon investigation (and beating the snot out of hundreds of rioting inmates) discover that former crime lord Underboss has escaped. What seems like a simple breakout becomes more sinister when Rorschach and Nite Owl find themselves in the centre of a set up which is linked to the Watergate break-in.

The End is Nigh has a fantastic visual presentation, with highly detailed character models and liquid-smooth motion-capped animations for the two main characters, along with some detailed environments and more than 20 enemies on screen at any time. The locations of the game’s chapters seem a bit derivative, repetitive and rather plain-looking though. Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earl Haley reprise their roles as Nite Owl II and Rorschach respectively, and actually do a decent job of delivering their lines.

Creating a video game based on the Watchmen graphic novel would not be an easy task, so setting the game in the Crimebusters era has allowed Deadline to make the game into an unapologetic arcade-style brawler. Nite Owl and Rorschach fight more or less in the same manner with a few key differences in dodging methods and special abilities. Attacks come in light and heavy varieties and can be mixed together to unleash different combos, which are revealed as you play the game. Most opponents can be tossed about with the throw button, though stronger enemies will have to be weakened or disarmed first. More advanced moves come in the form of counters and finishing moves, which require a little bit of timing on the player’s behalf. Rorschach has the advantage when it comes to counters, as his dodge move allows the player to spin behind the opponent, out of harm’s way and with a free shot at the opponent’s back.


Enemies come in a few different forms, though they more or less break down into three types: small enemies, small enemies that are hard to throw, and large enemies. In the early chapters of the game, enemies are disposed of with little trouble, but the tables turn from the third chapter on, and players will have to plan their attacks a little more thoughtfully, and use weapons to even the odds. Defeating enemies will fill each player’s rage meter, allowing the use of either a special move or a rage mode, which will increase your speed and strength. Once you’ve got the enemy patterns and strategies figured out, The End is Nigh starts to seem a little repetitive.

Most players will only need about 3 hours to beat The End is Nigh. The game can be played cooperatively with a friend, though only on the same machine. Little replay value is offered beyond a couple of collectible power-ups and some achievements for beating the game alone with each player or in a set amount of time.

Watchmen: The End is Nigh is a perfectly competent arcade-style brawler with some ridiculously high quality production values. Unfortunately, the game gets repetitively very quickly, and is very short. At just 3 hours, it’s very difficult for someone to justify paying around $AU25 for the game when similarly priced products offer significantly more game for the same price. Hopefully Warner Brothers learns from the exercise, and makes the second episode a bit longer.