from the review you quoted:
VanishedOne: yet the extra gameplay never feels at any level less than tacked on or clunky, especially when mutants and giant mutant rats start to pop up in the sewers towards the end of the game. These enemies in particular feel out of place, as if they have been only added to take advantage of the shooting mechanic.
Can't say that I agree with that at all. I experienced the first couple of occasions firing that hand cannon he wields as extremely exciting. Right from the start you can go to the 'firing range' and actually discharge your weapon, yet the game leaves you completely in the dark as to under what circumstances you will need your weapon. You notice that you can draw your weapon just about anywhere, but the target reticle never indicates a target. What adds to the suspense is that you have no idea how vulnerable you are, and therefore also how quickly you will have to react to survive a possible dangerous situation(whatever that might be). Consequently the first time the game put me in a dangerous situation in which I could draw my gun, it was an incredibly tense experience. It was like "Wow, I actually had to fire on someone" and it felt like an incredibly close call. Twice more in the first 40% of the game I experienced the same thing.
As for the areas in the latter part of the game: those derelict rundown areas in the underbelly of the city have an unnerving and menacing vibe. Hence I thought that the addition of a select number of man eating giant rats (and that one mutant that scared the crap out of me) added to the uneasiness I felt when traversing those areas.
You have to excuse me, I am an incessant Blade Runner fanboy and have nothing but praise for this game : not for any of the game's mechanics (such as shooting), but for the incredibly strong atmosphere that you can completely lose yourself in when 'playing' it.
