If you are the type of person who fiddles and plays with emulators, and sets them up to emulate a CRT on your high tech full hd monitor, this is already looking aesthetically pleasing to no end. You are treated to some fantasy machines that strongly resemble those of the good-old-days. The throwback to the Amstrad CPC in the first mini-chapter was amazingly fun to witness, listen to, and watch. The parser of the text adventure parts isn't perfect, and if you're used to typing LOOK, INVENTORY, HELP and so on, -- they don't work here. The entire narrative is very enjoyable, and has some really spooky surprises for you! All in all, this does feel like you're playing games such as LURKING HORROR again, sometimes. But sadly, there are a bunch of point and clicks in this game. And this is the kind of game where a hotspot finder would change entire worlds. Because after sitting there for maybe an hour trying to figure out how to "charge the x-ray" machine, having clicked everything, everywhere, again and again and again, you're starting to get the picture that this isn't what it set out to be. It could flow so well, because it's just trying to tell a story. But it is difficult to enjoy the story when game mechanics get in the way. If you're ready to find the needle in the haystack, go for it. If the retro charm has taken your heart, go for it. On a sidenote, you can zoom in by holding the right mouse button, but you can still not zoom in close enough to read some of the text written on devices around you. I'm not sure if this was done on purpose, but that too, is a bummer.
There aren't that many tactical squad - single player fps in the world. This is one of the best! Also, "Hidden and Dangerous 2 - the Sabre Squadron" addon even has real co-op as well. I can only hope that if you enjoy tactical shooters, and you have a second PC standing around nearby, and you can find a second player to join you, you will try this. Because it's just amazingly fun to play. The campaign missions are among the best I've played across all WW2 games. They're not easy, but fair. Managing your squads inventory can be a little complicated just sometimes, but the micromanagement is well worth it. Your AI controlled squad mates are capable, will warn you about enemy sightings, and engage, if you set them up to do that. The ARMA AI could learn something here. Sneaking and being all Ninja in this game is a valid option, and many times the slow and steady approach is the road to go down, but there is plenty of action, and every time you have a shoot out, it feels authentic. Enemy soldiers WILL try to sneak up on you as well. Not just outflank you, they will walk crouched at a snails pace behind cover, out of sight, just like you! When one of them creeps into the room you're hiding in, that's something I have NEVER seen in any other game like that. Typically they just come running in other games, or announce themselves in some way. Here, they don't. They actually are stealthy, and surprising them is so much fun! All the campaign missions are lengthy and typically take at least an hour to complete. There are story bits mixed in, and it may sometimes be tricky to figure out what you have to do, or where you need to be. That still doesn't stop me from giving this a perfect score. Oh right, the score. The music! It's fully orchestrated, movie like, and it's so good that you want to listen to some of it after you've finished playing. Desters in Italy, submarine bases, battleships, european towns, bavaria, every location just oozes atmosphere and authenticity. The game aged well, but sadly does not support 16:9 resolutions as far as I know.
