First Impressions, Single-Player
I guess I'll start with what I didn't quite care for about the single-player game and finish up with what I liked; I'll give you the bad news first, then the good news.
Not so good:
1. The in-game dialog for the basic miners walking around on Mars gets old and annoying really fast. I know they're pissed at the oppression of the EDF, but do they need to be so rude all the time? Much of the time they're telling you to get out of their way or learn how to drive. Of course, in the heat of a fire-fight it's not so bad, but that's probably just due to the fact that I was focusing my attention on the battle, not the inane conversation.
2. The load screens are a little lengthy. They don't happen often, but when they do it's probably a wait of 10 seconds or so. Not a big deal, I guess.
3. Probably the only other complaint, and it's definitely a small one, is driving in reverse. There are plenty of times when I find it necessary to back up the vehicle I'm driving, and your view is always out towards the front of the vehicle. Although, I guess there could be a button control to change the view that I haven't found. Anyway, backing up without being able to see behind you can hurt if you run over wandering miners and accidentally kill them. Kill a miner, morale goes down.
Good:
1. The controls are pretty solid. Whether walking around on foot, driving a vehicle, or shooting EDF soldiers, I never felt that the controls were an issue or got in the way of the game play.
2. Most of the hype surrounding this game centered on the ability to destroy just about everything in the game. I wasn't too sure if the game play surrounding this aspect of the game would live up to the hype. Well, I'm happy to say, I think it did. Pretty much anything man-made in the environment is destructible, and that opens up different possibilities for completing some of the missions. Busting open a section of a large pipeline and jumping in for a place to hide is a great way to hide or sneak up on an objective when the EDF is gunning for ya. There are many ways to use the environment to your advantage, and if your surroundings need a little modification to help, then go ahead and use some firepower to change things up.
3. Considering that some of the missions have you doing a lot of vehicle piloting, it's a good thing the vehicles handle pretty well. Now mind you, this is no Forza, but outside of the comment mentioned above about driving in reverse, the vehicles handle well enough. It's nice that the vehicle types are varied too, with certain vehicles being better suited for certain missions. As an added touch, the speed of the trucks and such is affected by inclines in the ground surface; go uphill your vehicle moves slower, go downhill it moves faster.
4. Probably what sticks out the most on the game play/mechanics front is the combat, especially the targeting and shooting. Personally, I would say that I'm below average when it comes to shooters. I just suck at being both quick and accurate. Quick or accurate I can handle, but ask me to combine the two, and well, I'm usually kissing the pavement first. I found this game much more forgiving in that regard. I didn't have to worry about dying if I wasn't lightning quick, and accurate, on the trigger. Not to say that I don't die quite a bit, 'cause when the EDF start swarming, it can become real overwhelming, real fast.
Overall, it's a very enjoyable experience. The destructible environment works well in the game, the combat is simple enough to be fun but still challenging enough not to become boring. Just a few minor issues, which deal mostly with the story line, really don't detract from the game play at all. I could see replaying this came more than once so as to try different ways to complete the missions. Overall it's a solid game and a good buy.