Narcos: Rise of the Cartels Review for Xbox One

Video game versions of successful TV shows used to be commonplace. I bought the accompanying video game to go with so many shows that I loved and every game, but that those games came with a broad spectrum of quality. Some of those turned out to be my favorite games (looking at you Star Wars Episode III video game) and some were easy to forget. However, these games always came with high expectations and this was especially true when the show was as beloved as Narcos has come to be. Filling the shoes of one of Netflix’s most iconic shows is a tall task, and unfortunately Narcos: Rise of the Cartels, by Curve Digital and Kuju, falls a bit short.

As a turn-based game, strategy is crucial to the player’s success in Narcos: Rise of the Cartels. The game progresses through a series of missions where you assemble a team made up of various classes of soldiers to achieve the object. Often, this involves eliminating every member of the other team. After the first story mission, you have the option to switch over from the DEA side to the Narcos side where you can help build the Narcos empire.

My favorite part of the game was the team building aspect of preparing for missions. On the DEA side, you have access to Spec-Ops, police, Search Bloc, and additional DEA agents to choose from. Each class of character brings different skills, weapons, and movement points. The teams are structured as having a leader with special abilities and then you surround that leader with a team to suite their skills. However, you also have a limited budget to build your team with. Each subset of character has a dollar value to hire, upgrade, and heal. This offers some real depth to the team building aspect and provides another area where strategy is critically important to success in the game. This is also where the attention to detail in the game really shows. The characters and dialogue carry over well from the show and really provides a sense of immersion into the Narcos universe. This includes dialogue and interaction from every main character.

In the gameplay itself, there were a handful of things that seemed to detract from the experience of the game. The most notable of these is the shooting mechanics. I understand that it isn’t the main focus of the game since it is a strategy game at its core, but not being able to aim or have any control over where your shots hit. The exception to this is when you are delivering your final shot or when your character counteracts the movement of an enemy. As far as I could tell, it didn’t seem to make a difference where you hit the enemy, it was more if you hit the enemy. In general, the game was very difficult to understand and play at first since the controls are pretty complex. This led to a lot of trial and error where I eventually understood the nuances of the game, but it’s easy to see points where someone may give up before they get fully invested in the game.

Overall, Narcos: Rise of the Cartels really added an interesting dynamic to the experience of the show. As a fan, it was fun to use characters I had loved during the show in a setting where I could set their strategy to defeat/help the Narcos. If you’re a fan of the show and want a little more interaction with the Naros universe then this game is worth adding to your collection, but I don’t think it would survive on its own without the support of great characters on a fantastic show.

6.8/10

Check Out the Narcos: Rise of the Cartels Trailer:

For more information, please visit: http://www.curve-digital.com/en-gb/news/news-detail/73/its-time

Taylor Tyler

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My first console was the original Playstation and I would play Twisted Metal every now and then but games didn't hook me until I played the original Halo at my friend's house. As soon as I picked up that controller, I knew I needed an Xbox and I had to have that game. Since those early Halo days, I've branched out and played any game I could find with a great story and memorable characters but Master Chief is still my favorite. @thenotoriousTGT on Twitter

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