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Let it not be said that all 'freemium' titles are bad - sure they have their huge flaws,
but time enjoyed is time well spent. With that said, time wasted is time not enjoyed
and definitely not well spent and this is where the genre comes in to contention: If
you lack the motivation, then what are you playing for? Men in Black 3 slides uncomfortably
in to this second problematic kind of thinking, albeit presenting all the visual polish and
flair Gameloft can muster, but it's not enough to mask a game that lacks any meaningful progression.
You come in to the agency as a rookie and are - strangely - dumped in to the overwhelmingly
powerful position of cleaning up and expanding the facilities while also saving the Earth
from a menacing threat. "But," you may ask, "how can I simultaneously save the planet
from a real and immediate threat while also waiting 24 hours for my facilities to earn
cash to get that new weapon I need?".
And there's the crux of it: Your motivation from the outset is not to save the world,
but to build a base. Be it a new flower stand, a tacky souvenir shop, or a snazzy host of
"RnD" divisions, the game is about amassing gold over time and promptly sinking it in
to more buildings or items to repeat the whole mess.
On the plus side, there is a mission system and the ability to recruit agents to perform
minor tasks for you, but everything you do has a price paid in energy, which takes time
to regenerate as well or if you're flush with cash, a quick trip to the IAP store to refresh
or side-step with 'T-Pulse's.
Gorgeous though the art and style may be, it's merely a skin-deep veneer over the same
game you've seen played out too many times already. Sure there's combat, but it's just
as shallow as you tap enemies without thinking.
Men in Black 3 is a tidy example of why fans of a franchise and gamers in general cringe
at the sight of tie-ins; despite the wealth of ideas to exploit in the MiB world it's
lumped with a throw-away concept that asks nothing of the player and returns much the
same in kind.