The most underrated game of 2009.
- Superb atmosphere, made possible by fantastic sound and visual effects.
- Scary.
- Great story woven in layers with many, many symbolic elements. You should know that the story carries the game here, it's not simply just a vehicle for more cool stuff to do. Be sure to keep playing to the end, the payoff is very much worth it.
- The mental echo ability (going back in time to solve puzzles that change the present as well as saving somebody's life) is very innovative and works very well.
The Bad:
- Combat feels a little off, which is made worse by the increasing amount of enemies near the end of the game. However, your character is no soldier, and the weapons are made to be more realistic than your average shooter, so the clunkiness of the combat may be forgiven a little. My complaint is that they stick you with too many enemies near the end that makes you wish you could have the option of skipping combat all together.
- The levels are too much of the same, by which I mean one empty frozen room after another.
- The biggest problem is the performance issue for the game. My PC is no Crysis killer, but it can run that game in 1680x1050 with medium-high settings with no problems. For this game I had to turn everything off/low (with the exception of PhysX, which my card should be able to handle) as well as a resolution of 1280x800, yet I only got around 20 fps. I can get maybe 50 at some areas, but where it matters - the combat - depending on how much is happening, my fps might drop down to 10. It's inexcusable given the claustrophobic environment you're trapped in.
- No replay value.
Overall:
This game has its flaws, but thankfully overall it's not a combat intensive game. If you're looking for a game with a terrific atmosphere that will scare you then this game is for you - as long as you don't mind some clunky combat once in a while. You'll also be treated to one of the best stories I've seen in a game. The mental echo parts are pretty unique and fun, and often help to tell the story. It's very rewarding when you come back from one and see that the environment around you has changed as a result of saving somebody's life. I feel the positive elements of this game are way overwhelming than the negatives. It's a great, albeit very underrated game that anyone interested in survival horror should definitely check out.