The Fuse reviews have started, and, well, it doesn't seem like the best shooter on the market, especially if you plan on going Rambo and playing this solo. Changing the game's original name and the odd box art were all strikes against this shooter, and strike three seems to be the gameplay itself. Read on for what the critics are saying.
Destructoid, 4/10 - "Insomniac turned a lot of heads when it first revealed Overstrike -- a colorful, cartoony, over-the-top cooperative shooter that looked promisingly hilarious. Even more heads turned, but for entirely the wrong reasons, when Overstrike mutated into Fuse -- a new and toned down version that took itself more seriously and, to be quite fair, looked considerably less interesting. While the cynical among us saw Overstrike as yet another victim of the heavily focus-tested, leader following, perpetually terrified mainstream game industry, Insomniac worked hard to assure gamers Fuse would be as exciting and amusing as the original incarnation promised. I wish I could say we were wrong and Insomniac was right. I can't. Fuse is everything we expected ... and less.
Polygon, 6.5/10 - "Not even four high-level characters are enough to breeze through Echelon,Fuse's version of a scored wave-based survival mode. Echelon is situated to give a reason to keep going through Fuse with the RPG-grinding possibilities of its experience and perks systems. But the issues from the latter parts of the main game are apparent almost immediately here. There are various objective types and time-based bonuses, but even with three players and an AI companion of level 25 or higher, death came quickly and often. The potential for Echelon to be a fun, "competitive co-op" mode is there, but the difficulty makes it hard to have much fun beyond a match or two."
Gamespot, 7/10 - "It can be hard to stand out among the crowd, but fortunately for the protagonists of Fuse, they found some very cool weapons to steal. Whether you're encasing enemies in black crystalline deathtraps or vaporizing them with a pulse from your protective shield, it's a lot of fun to team up with friends and take on the challenges of Fuse. Alone, the tepid campaign neither excites nor bores, while the horde-like Echelon mode is all but impossible without at least a few leveled-up friends. Regardless of what mode you play, "with friends" is definitely how this slick near-future shooter thrives, delivering a solid team-based experience with just enough style and substance to keep you entertained."
Game Informer, 7.75/10 - "When four humans are taking on waves of enemies, it's often hilariously chaotic. Black holes create chain reactions, bodies melt away, and so many helicopters crash. Frequent moments of crazy action are fun for a while, but it eventually becomes routine. Destroying the same small variety of standard grunts, shielded enemies, helicopters, and larger mech enemies (all controlled by the game's mediocre AI) can only stay novel for so long. Playing by yourself, it's a soulless experience. Utilizing the leap mechanic, you're able to inhabit any character you want at any time. This doesn't alleviate the problem of having three brain-dead AI partners standing alongside you, however. Without having a few friends on the couch or laughing with you over a headset, the shootouts seem muted."
IGN, 6.5/10 - "In tone and depth of story, Fuse is essentially a playable summer blockbuster movie. For four-player co-op shooting purposes, that's a good thing...Without three other human players to back you up, though, Fuse falls apart completely. The inept A.I.-controlled teammates don't begin to behave according to their badass character traits, instead opting to group up in the same piece of cover far away from the fight."
EGM, 7.5/10 - "Fuse's story is as generic as they come. You're given four characters who you learn about over the course of the game-but not enough to actually care about beyond the fact that if they die, your mission ends and you need to restart from the nearest checkpoint. In fact, if you asked the three of us in the EGM office who played Fuse what the character names were, maybe through a combined effort, we could come up with all of them. Whenever we tried to use the actual character names, we just ended up confusing each other, especially with gender-neutral Izzy. It just became easier to call the protagonists "Shield Guy," "Crossbow Guy," "Stealth Girl," and "Healer Girl," because they were more defined by their weapons than the paltry character development Insomniac attempted here. Couple the forgettable characters with your standard "save the world" story, and Fuse won't be winning any awards for its script, that's for sure."
GamingBolt, 7/10 - "Insomniac Games have advertised Fuse as a unique cooperative experience and the game undeniably delivers on that front. However, it's not that amazing, and there is nothing groundbreaking that we haven't seen before. Insomniac is known for innovation with their previous titles, and we can tell easily tell that they tried to put their magic into Fuse. Meanwhile, it does a decent job as a 3rd-person shooter, but the dated animations, dinky sounds can hamper the overall experience of the game. The variety of enemies in Fuse is also lacking. For 80% of the game you will be fighting you're regular ground forces grunts with occasional mini-bosses that are repeated throughout numerous points in the game. The game packs only six missions, so the experience is also not particularly long either."
