This may remind you of Bioshock, but is that really so bad?
Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of Bioshock. That game is just the tops in my book, but I became interested in this game before the comparisons to Bioshock became prevalent. The story piqued my interest, as well as the time traveling mechanic. I followed the progress of the game in development, but I only just got around to playing it recently.
In fact, it was only yesterday I got this game in the mail and I've already finished it. The game is short, but I wasn't dissatisfied with the length. The story was fully fleshed out, complete with all the twists and turns you'd expect to find in a crazy, science fiction, time traveling, cold war shooter. It isn't anything too compelling and ingenious, but it kept me interested and there were some great moments. There were only a few characters that you got to know throughout the game and I found they weren't quite as fascinating. They all suffered from power and morality struggles, you know, the usual. Notes, messages, and audio logs found throughout the game help to further the the history of the characters and world surrounding you.
The gun play, or should I say time play (he he, get it?), is the real highlight of this game. The reality is that both the guns and time mechanics are extremely satisfying and fun. In addition to some shooter mainstays, you have some very unique guns that are just plain awesome. You may think they would be overpowered, but the game manages to balance things nicely. The time altering mechanic is very fun too and you'll find interesting ways to use it outside of combat. Inside on combat, it is pretty fun to watch your enemies age instantly until they wither away or to send out a shock wave that basically lets everyone know you're a bad mother trucker. The game finds clever ways to use these during boss battle as well. Speaking of those, they are incredible.
Another thing I enjoyed about this game, were the slight RPG elements presented. You collect "E99 Technology" scattered throughout the game. You can then use this to upgrade your abilities, add additional abilities, or upgrade your character's health, and other stats.
The details throughout the levels are nice, but the game doesn't provide as many optional areas as I'd like. I always tend to look through every nook and cranny in games, and in this case, it pays off. E99, weapon upgrades, and bits of history can be found all over, but in most cases you won't miss much if you just plow through the levels.
This game, like most others, does have its share of flaws. The graphics aren't terrible, but they aren't anything to write home about either. Occasionally character models and other objects don't load right away and appear as a blurry outline for a few seconds. This doesn't happen often, but it is noticeable. Sometimes it can take you quite a while to figure out what to do. The game uses a "ping" feature, which tells you where to go, but that can only help you so much. I played through this on the normal difficulty level, but much of the game seemed far too easy. Granted you're a soldier who can manipulate time, but it would have been nice for it to be slightly more challenging. Enemies became redundant very quickly and it doesn't take long to figure out how best to dispatch them.
All in all, this is a solid and entertaining game. If you're looking for a shooter with heavy doses of science fiction, you've found it.