Though an amazing game with spectacular presentation, small quirks bring this ambitious project down.
The graphics are very detailed, however, at times they can be too drab, Everything is a shade of gray (no pun intended), which, among other things, makes fighting a pain for the eyes. Enemies always appeared too late for me, and I hope that is not a lack of reflex on my part, but they were too much a part of the environment itself. Spotting those gray creatures in the gray tunnels was just a chore.
On the other hand, the stealth-related graphics have been done really well. Lights and shadows have been rendered perfectly, and the torches and fires add a real sense of depth to the game.
Sounds were amazing, with gunfire and environ sounds fleshed out very well. However, the voice acting was TERRIBLE. I repeat, TERRIBLE. The Russian accents are passable, but every character's way of talking was just too damn annoying.
Gameplay ... just one word, SATISFYING. As a perfect headshot in the dark, or ripping down enemies with a machine gun, every press of the trigger or throw of a knife, just gives such maniacal pleasure. Try it, you won't regret it.
Story, in my opinion, could have been told better. The main character gets bogged down by the horrible voice acting, but the journal entries are still insightful. Not much backstory is given, and hardly any characters have much depth to them.
Overall presentation was great, with the urgency of the gas masks and the ever present threat of the strange, hellish creatures. The human aspect of the game of was not that good, but still, it was adequate.
In conclusion, this is a very good game. Could have been absolutely fabulous, but for the minor problems I mentioned. Still, great job, 4A and Deep Silver!
Peace out.
(PS: I would have given this game 7.9 if I could, 'cause 8 is just too high.)