Hector: Badge of Carnage -- Episode 2 Review

The gaming industry is an interesting beast that has gone through numerous transformations over the past two to three decades. A perfect example of this is the point-and-click adventure genre, which up until about three years ago was deader than a ghost town on Halloween. Don't get us wrong, there is a great history to the gameplay style, it just had previously flourished in the floppy diskette era. Luckily for all of us, Telltale Games has seen to it that not only are adventure games seeing a revival, they are stronger than ever. The only question is whether Hector can live up to its superior predecessors, or if it is dead on arrival.

If one were to try to describe a stereotypical police detective most would expect to hear something about bravery, being a kind, upstanding citizen, or even a word or two about humility. Hector, who also happens to be a detective, is none of those things. Some might even say his is the antithesis of the stereotype. He is crass, rude, bumbling, and downright depraved, yet somehow this anti-hero numbskull is the main character in Badge of Carnage: Episode 2. Sadly, his personality is actually the strongest part of the game and that isn't saying that much.

The game picks up right where Episode 1 left off, with Hector at gunpoint and things not looking well for our dingbat of a hero. Using a keen eye and a little ingenuity, players can escape this harrowing scenario and live to solve another case. This may be fun and dandy to some folks, but this second installment in Hector's quest lacks any serious direction or overall drive. Another issue is the essential dialog trees that the genre is known for. Where previous Telltale games have banked on clever writing to deliver on humor, Badge of Carnage seems hellbent on shocking the chuckles out of you. Unfortunately it toes the line of decency and then sprints long past into the land of senseless and unnecessary vulgarity.

It is hard enough to remain interested in a game when your hero is the opposite of likeable, but when something begins to feel like it is trying way too hard to be edgy, the wheels begin to fall off the wagon. Where other Telltale games have been so successful in establishing a rich world that players want to be a part of, Badge of Carnage: Episode 2 does the exact opposite. This is one case that may be better off going cold.

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