fake widescreens ... but otherwise great entertainment
There are many positive things about this game. The most important ... well, it's lots of fun. It also very quickly becomes a rather cool action once you learn to use the glaive (spinning tri-blade) that is actually a part of the character's body due to an infection. The game seems to be well thought out (including weapons trader), slowly raising difficulty as you progress and acquire new skills. The game runs smoothly with no hesitation whatsoever and the Evolution engine really shows its potential in its Unreal3-like quality but we no stuttering.
Positives:
- no major bugs; runs smoothly
- graphics: 8.5/10
- sound: 8/10
- action: non-stop
- loading new levels: 10/10 (super fast)
- cover mechanism (not as good as in some other games, but at least it's a good start)
- re-playability: some, but supposedly there is a multiplayer that I've never tried
All this is great, but then you wonder why would a developer make cheap mistakes at the end. Specifically, I'm talking about the fake widescreen resolutions -- for example I've been playing this game ay 1680x1050 which is 16:10 and supposedly the game supports it. However, later you discover that the widescreen is actually simple stretching (this issue is supposedly not present in console versions). While, most people will still enjoy the game scenery, the big console reticule will look egg-shaped (tall), which is annoying to say the least.
Negatives:
- strong console-like feel (including the reticule)
- fake widescreen resolutions
- game mechanics somewhat stiff (no jump, no crouch, no direction change via mouse when sprinting/running)
- occasionally it's hard to figure out what the game wants you to do or how (but not most of the time)
Overall, this is a game that offers lots of fun for people who like third-person shooters. The price is also right. The positives and positive impressions definitively outweigh the negatives. Overall score: 7.4/10.