amazing looking game that follows through on game play. stunning lighting
the first thing that hit me about this was the stunning lighting, It took me back to the good old doom 3 days where the game designers used the lighting not only to add atmosphere but also as an element in the over all game play. I mean it looks awesome ( Athena more than butcher bay but they are both really well done)
as I played through butcher bay I was reminded of the first half life in some of the puzzles and also the fact that i was crawling around a massive facility trying to find a way out, and finding obstacle after obstacle in my way. while finding fun and creative ways around the obstacles I used the shadows to hide and ambush enemy in ways that reminded me of splinter cell, but with more freedom to run out and twist a dudes head off if i want.
for a first person shooter is has a strong emphasis on melee combat as well as shooting. there are parts in the game where you have no guns and you have to find fun and creative ways around that fact. its because of this that the game plays like no other Ive played, while at the same time reminding of a lot of my old favorites.
once I began Athena I noticed that the already nice graphics became so nice I nearly wet myself. the immersion was farther solidified when I found some prisoners to speak to, the animations and voice overs were extremely well done. and every word riddick speaks stays true to the impressive bad ass persona we remember from the movies.
latter in the game I found myself in a sun bathed town square witch broke the monotony of crawling through vents and feeling trapped. it also gave a whole new way of showing off the graphics.
also this is one of the only games I have played in a while on my PC that I didn't have problems with bugs, or crashing due to driver errors or anything like that. so from that technical side its two thumbs up.
Now that its all said and Ive finished the game the only things Id like to have seen done differently would have been to make Athena a little longer and to add a sprint command.
this game looks awesome, is fun to play, and totally worth any price Ive ever payed for a game.