STALKER-Esque narrative driven linear FPS. Good story, good graphics, plays really nicely, very smooth and fluid. However... I'm not a fan of rail shooter elements and escort missions (No Spoilers) Other players have said that the gas mask filter mechanic was an issue. I didn't feel it that way and I didn't run out of them. I ran out of ammo a lot though and couldn't seem to gather enough ammo to upgrade my weapons, just little minor tweaks here and there. I'll try not to spoil it too much, but the Archive level with the Librarians was a deal breaker for me. Completely and utterly tedious, which wasn't helped by the lack of manual saving. Tried the pacifist route, didn't work. There was always one that just wanted to kick the shit out of me despite me using the correct tactics. Couldn't kill any as no matter how much ammo, slugs, arrows, explosives and fire I threw at them they just laughed and kicked the shit out of me anyway. Watching other players on YouTube killing these things easily didn't help, wasn't working for me. Sadly, this level ruined the game for me and I quit. I would recommend playing if you can put up with some tedious levels with only checkpoint saving, then you'll have a blast.
An updated Far Cry (The original) as far as I am concerned, which isn't a bad thing. I really enjoyed the first Far Cry. The game is run and gun fun in a nanosuit with cool skills and excellent graphics. However, the constant crashing did destroy my enjoyment and the game became a chore, I tried every so called fix I could find, but still didn't stop it crashing. The final boss fight I could not complete, the constant crashing for a period of 30+ mins was too much to bear and I gave up. If you can get the game to run without crashing or minimal crashing I would recommend it, otherwise I would leave it. No idea if the remastered edition has the same issues.
Did I say this was fun? Well, it really is. The combat is fluid and slick, the finishing moves are varied and seemingly unending. It has decent story and I like the idea of playing different characters. Voice acting is outstanding. A few gripes. Not being able to rebind keys in game. Camera angles are sometimes off so you can't see the whole combat scene and it suffers from Ubisoft syndrome (A map full of shit for you to collect). I would have preferred a lengthier campaign and less collecting options.
If you have a penchant for first person shootage with a little bit of stealth, a little bit of puzzling, a little bit of sci-fi, a lot of time manipulation, gunplay, killing and blowing shit up in ever more creative ways and a decent story, then this is for you. Plus it has elements of S.T.A.L.K.E.R., F.E.A.R and Bioshock.
Please note that this review doesn't include all my experiences, just some of the salient ones. I enjoyed the game, but it is tempered with the negatives. The story is nothing to right home about, but at least the devs have tried to make you emotionally invested in it. A beautiful world has been created and it is living and breathing. The faction affinity mechanism requires work and lots of grinding. You need to be 'Friend' with a faction in order to trade, but the game doesn't tell you when you are friend. It is a matter of trial and error and you may lose time earned resources. Crafting exists. There are different gear sets, weapons and armour. These require blueprints, called 'Ideas' in the game, in order to craft. However, a lot of them you will find after you have need of them. Some are locked behind puzzles, which you can't get access to until about mid-game when you have what you need in order defeat the puzzle. You get excited to have defeated the puzzle, but the reward is, 'Oh, that's worse than what I already have'. The best gear set is the Beagalite set, which you can get fairly easily (Time spent grinding) from an NPC. Two pieces of the set you will have to craft. Because it is fairly easy to get, it kind of makes the other sets superfluous. Spend time farming Beagalite. Platformimg is a pain, the game is not intuitive in that way. Terrain textures keep popping in and out. Controls are not very responsive. The game requires quick slots for weapons. Having to go into your inventory everytime to switch weapons becomes tedious. Lots of collectable resources, some of which I found no use for. Puzzles are not my thing in general, there are a lot of them and two of the three vaults were a pain. I would recommend it, but get it in a sale.
This is based on the steam version, but I will buy here anyway. Well worth it. I put off playing this game for so long, but I'm glad that I recently played it and never looked back. I used the Dash Faction mod, which makes the game look fantastic, has widescreen among other options. As a shooter it is so much fun. Destructible terrain, a decent array of weaponry, a varied level design, vehicles, monsters, challenging enemies and bosses, stealth and a decent storyline. The best thing I liked about this game was the way it gradually ramped up the difficulty with harder enemies and bosses the further you progressed. However, there is one fly in the ointment that stops this being a 5 star review. The end of the game. You run a gauntlet of rock hard enemies to get to the final boss, which is then a collosal fight in itself. You finally defeat the boss and then as the last action of the game get presented by a memory puzzle, which is also on a countdown timer. Why someone thought this was a good idea, god only knows? Anyway, if you like early 2000s shooters like I do, buy it, you'll love it!
I don't like quitting games...But this is one I will quit...For now. The atmosphere is right, the story is right and the whole feeling of the game is right...But... Started the game using DX10 as advised by PCGW. But had to start using DX9 as the game kept crashing as it was a very frustrating experience. No crashes so far. Loading screens, auto saving and quicksaves are so long they completely ruin the immersion. *Sits staring at screen. I really should have made a drink, made a sandwich and taken the dog for a walk. The shooting doesn't feel right, The whip takes some getting used to and the platforming is dreadful. But the mechanic that takes the biscuit right now is the duelling system. I say system, it's more of a sometime, maybe, never mechanic and you don't know which one you're gonna get at any particular time. Currently stuck at Ned 'The Plague'. My gun will just not draw. I'm doing exactky what I am supposed to do, but it will just not work. So for now, I will take a break from it.
