Here's where we get into the meat of the problems with Takedown: Red Sabre. While the game is presented as a hardcore experience there are several things that simply aren't up to snuff in terms of how it behaves. The interface is clearly designed for a console play and a controller, which it does support on the PC, but it has several quirks like those related to loadouts. While some of it was fixed in a recent patch, there's definitely a bit lacking.
The AI - both friendly and enemy - is simply not up to snuff. Whether it's predictable movement patterns, the lack of an enemy "hearing" your shots, or the enemy's ability to do a 180 and shoot you in the face in no time flat, the AI lacks any sense of believability. Your teammate AI in single player can be equally as frustrating. Several times I had them get stuck in sections or line themselves up for a firing squad against the computer.
In terms of cooperative play you'll be able to tackle any of the story missions with up to 6 players or take on the maps in terrorist hunt fashion. The problem? Online play is completely busted. I managed to get into only a handful of matches after several frustrating hours with the game. Serellan has said they are committed to getting the issues resolved, but right now the community is filled with people having connection issues.
Takedown: Red Sabre showed so much promise when we played it earlier this year, but what we got was a game that simply came up short. There's a chance that in time we'll get a more polished and fun experience; there is a solid core here to build on. Sadly with all of the connectivity issues, bugs, and overall lack of polish it's hard to recommend the game as is.
The Co-Optimus review of Takedown: Red Sabre is based on the PC version of the game. Codes for the game were supplied by the publisher.
Verdict
Co-Op Score
Overall
The Co-Op Experience: Team up with other players as a squad in five single missions or in terrorist hunt on the game's maps.
Co-Optimus game reviews focus on the cooperative experience of a game, our final score graphic represents this experience along with an average score for the game overall. For an explanation of our scores please check our Review Score Explanation Guide.