The counterfeit market has always been hot on consumer goods. Anything from clothing, shoes, purses, jewelry, and even electronics. Successful franchises have a way of bringing the imposters out of the woodwork, and the videogame industry is apparently no exception. Call of Duty, Diablo, Grand Theft Auto, and other big gaming franchises have all had their share of knockoffs. However, never before has a game taken such blatant “inspiration” from another that it borderlines copyright infringement.

Quantum Theory has all the makings of a great experience, yet somehow managed poorly on its execution. You play the role of Syd, a hulking and mysterious warrior on a mission to save what’s left of humanity. While his motives are unclear, only death will stop him from his mission to destroy the rampant evil that plagues mankind. An exotic black material, called Erosion, has spread throughout the world and left a mass of living towers in its wake. These towers are the breeding ground for the Diablosis, creatures that are transforming humans into the Infected, and are the forefront in the ongoing battle for survival.

After infiltrating one of the towers with a small militia group called Cocoon, Syd discovers he’s not the only one bent on annihilating the Diablosis. He meets up with the mysterious Filena, a woman determined to ascend the tower, who is searching for answers about her father.

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The last hope of humanity plot outline has been done a thousand times over, but the fact that it’s unoriginal isn’t what makes it bad. It’s the script writing in conjunction with the voice acting. The one-liners run rampant throughout the game, during headshots and ammo pickups, and feel like they were copied directly from a Marcus Fenix voice-over session. The action sequences aren’t any better. Filena sounds like she’s a teenager forced to audition for a high school play. The story has potential, but it won’t keep your attention long enough to make you suffer through the gameplay.

The combat and cover system in Quantum Theory are essentially cookie-cutter versions of their Gears of War counterparts. When comparing the two, it’s not so much like apples and oranges. It’s more like Fuji vs. Granny Smith or Blood vs. Naval. You know exactly what you’re in for, except the flavor might not be as appealing. The only real difference is that you can do a few meaningless attack combos with your AI partner, Filena. Once she teams up with you, you can toss her at enemies to let loose a powerful strike with her sword or perform melee combos when they are close by.

For a third-person shooter, the gunplay isn’t as refined as it could be. Targeting reticules for every gun are shaped in an awkward manner that serves no real purpose. It makes the aiming very imprecise, especially while the sensitivity is already clumsily tuned. The cover system doesn’t work, as bullets will tear into you despite being hidden, and it’s not really needed anyway since the AI is dumb as dirt. They make the hardest difficulty feel like a cakewalk. At least, it would be if the game didn’t constantly kill you for any apparent reason.