Visually staggering, the closest to being in an action movie you'll ever get. For now.
The gameplay is mostly the usual run and gun, but in this case this is not a bad thing. The game does incorporate stealth, but after the first few chapters you'll be forced to accept the all-guns-blazing approach. Apart from this there are extensive vehicle sections with some fantastic scripted sequences thrown in, there's the addition of 'feral' abilities that allow Jack to maim enemies, run super fast, see in the dark, and follow scent trails. Some of these will be underused by some but its nice to know they're there. There are also some nice little additions that make the game that more immersive...like the ability to flip onto your back whilst crawling (good for shooting up through floorboards) or the need to hold your breath to steady your sniper rifle aim. The ability to set traps to subdue enemies is also nice, although a little tacked on.
Sound is great. Brushing against trees or undergrowth will elicit a sound that can distract the enemy, and the sound of wildlife had me wondering whether what I was hearing was ingame or happening outside!
The game is hard to begin with, hence the steep learning curve, what with all the stealth and inferior weaponary. But when the game gets going things are pretty smooth going until the final chapter, which ramps up the difficulty again. Enemy AI isn't spectacular, but numbers often pose the biggest threat. Anything outside a headshot will result in a barrage of ammo being needed to dispatch an enemy, too. It's a surprisingly lengthy adventure too...taking about eight hours to complete...and then you'll be ready to tackle it again.
I was playing the game using 360 backwards compatibility, and there were no noticable issues; although it is advised to always set the system clock before playing, as a glitch can cause the game to ignore automatic checkpoints, meaning you'd be starting from the beginning of each level every time you died.
All in all, you could do much worse when it comes to playing FPS's, especially when it's adopted from a PC classic so well. Go buy it.