Volition delivers a well developed game based on a rather lousy Marvel character.
But he simply can't hold a candle to the likes of Max Payne. It's therefore no surprise that Volition could not count on a strong characterization to support their protagonist through this rather lenghty adventure across the New York criminal world.
But what they could have done to make this game better was to work more on subtraction, instead of adding so many features that in the end proved to be unnecessary, to say the least. The dual wielding shooting is one of them. The slaughter mode is another. Including the use of grenades never felt as a very welcome aspect either. Personally I would have eliminated all three of them from the game to make its controls tighter and more functional.
But Volition luckily came also with few very good ideas: first and foremost the interrogation sequences. They're very entertaining and satisfactory. Especially the environmental ones. It's true that they can become repetitive after some time but that's not their own fault but rather the game's fault, which in fact becomes repetitive rather soon. This is the major problem.
The game is always pleasant in the way it looks (very good animations can be seen also for the so called "quick kills) but Frank Castle finds himself fighting his way through the same storm of enemies: despite a good AI, it feels like they are the same people who just changed clothes. And the level design is not particularly inspired either.
The different "chapters" are introduced by brief and functional cutscenes but the plot won't ever become a strong point of this production. And neither was this really possible, considering the base material Volition had to work with and stick to.
But the game is very neatly coded. I had not the least technical issue with this production. The camera worked as expected and never did I encounter a glitch or other problem.
In the game, there are the usual upgrades and, more interestingly, a collection of "memories" from Frank Castle's past that can sometimes be obtained after a successful interrogation sequence.
There are some few "boss" fights but I would consider only one (The first encounter with The Russian at Frank's apartment) being really entertaining.
Frank meets some allies and works with them. Their comic background is evident and doesn't help the situation. Better instead when the help comes from the average Joe in uniform.
The action is well packed and the environments are varied enough to help alleviate the sense of repetition which eventually will start creeping its way into the player's mind.
Overall, this is a game to be recommended. I have enjoyed it and finished it in a matter of few days, playing it in right "dosage" (meaning that few breaks from it help keeping the game fresher).
But if you are out after a third person shooter which packs a stronger punch, I can't but suggest giving the PC version of Max Payne and especially Max Payne 2 (a superior product) a chance.
Over and out.