A truely original shooter game, one that pulls all the stops necessary to make the game original and fun to play.
I think i'd have to say: Don't believe Gamespot on this one. They'd have you believe that the game is fairly dull, unimaginative and been-there-done-that, with not so great weapons. I'm sorry Gamespot, but for me and quite a lot of my friends who've played this game, that just ain't so. The visuals are everything you'd expect from a game based on the Doom 3 engine, slimey, gorey, gloomy in parts but on the whole, very spectacular. The sound is excellent, especially the gun sounds. The voice acting is excellent too, very witty dialogue from Tommy at times.
The gameplay innovations, such as the portals and gravity-warping elements such as walkways and alignments, are nothing short of brilliant. That is to say, there is a high degree of professionalism employed when pulling off these mind-bending stunts. The integration of the portals is excellent, being able to interact with the area on the other side before you step into it proves that it's not all a fake-cardboard-cutout job here, it's real programming through the portal and it's right there in front of you.
The length of the game is about average, with between 10-15 hours of gameplay for the average gamer, although if you're quick with the stick, so to speak, then you might be able to get it done in as little as 8 hours on the Normal difficulty.
The quality of the title on the whole very much impressed me. The storyline was under-expanded, some of the elements (such as ghosts) did feel a little out of place in a sci-fi shooter, but in part that's what made it all the more different and interesting. This is a thrill-ride through an immense alien mothership, one you won't forget, despite what the critics say, if you're into a good old shoot-em-up which is just a bit more celebral than most other shooters.
I certainly recommend this title, but if gore, violence and a bit of swearing puts you off games, then this definitely isn't for you. Not to say it's extremely bad, it's not as gloomy as Doom 3, or as genuinely frightening as FEAR, or as gorey as Quake 4, but it is an 18 rated title folks, keep that in mind for the younger gamers.