Review based on disc version, but I'm sure as hell getting this when I get paid! S.W.A.T 4 is almost unique in it's design, being based on the groundwork of S.W.A.T 3, the designers wanted it to feel REAL. As a kid (a kid who sucked at playing anything other than the action he was so accustomed to) this game showed me what swat was really about. You lone wolf run and gun no scope and your carcass will be stuck at the bottom of the river before you could say "ouch!" Killing the badguys should be your last resort AND REPORT EVERYTHING. This game is all about methodical planning and situational awareness. TACTICS! of the highest order, a stark contrast to Rainbow 6 Vegas and co. with their Hollywood approach to SwatSpecial forces and ARMA with it's often confusing controls. S.W.A.T 4 is simple, challenging and there's nothing wrong with that. My copy was stolen years ago, so I'm very pleased to see this available once more even if my wallet isn't.
I had never played this game until I bought it on GOG in 2016. No I grew up with DOOM, Duke Nukem 3D, UT99 and Quake 3, skipping great titles like Quake 1+2, Blood and so many more. As far as Quake is concerned it is basically the result of Id putting their FPS experience into taking the next step in gaming evolution, unlike Halflife 2 which was kind of a 8 hour tech demo, Quake shows you what it's capable of for ten seconds then throws the hordes of quake at you, This game is buy and large Hugely superior to DOOM in almost every way. The only issue is that the music is in a "unassembled" state, nudge nudge wink wink. but the disc images are included with the game and the whole of the nerd armies of the world can guide you to fixing it so I don't mind.
Stalker Shadow of Chernobyl is a bit of an anomaly in the games world (no pun intended) Being a shooter with a heavy focus on it's atmosphere and this broken land that seems to defy everything we thought possible. Mutation, unexplained phenomena and mystery surrounding every part of The Zone. The game has a lighting engine unlike any other. There is nothing like navigating a still wasteland in a thunderstorm being chased by the military. On that note the difficulty is quite infamous in the stalker games. Especially on higher difficulties, enemies at the start can drop you in a half second if you're unprepared and seeing how good the AI is, being unprepared will lead to much frustration. But once you reach your first shop outside Cordon you can get good gear and the difficulty isn't so bad. Story wise you are looking for a stalker who went to the center of The Zone, so you can kill him, basic stuff. There are some neat twists here and there. Overall this game is the least buggy in the series, but it lacks a few key features present in the later games, like sleeping, fast traveling and weapon upgrading but nothing game-breaking. The game is an anomaly in that it mixes aspects of realistic shooters, horror, science fiction and post apocalyptia really well to create a world with immense detail despite the many mysteries surrounding research before and after the crisis, the nature of the anomalies. Honestly this game has a great atmosphere and if you stick with it it's more immersive than most games.
I allready own two coopies of this game and have finished it a few times before. The gameplay is entertaining enough that every so often I boot the sucker up for another go. A lot of people hated this game back in the day for various reasons: The game is too linear, the combat is clunky, FPS platforming is for wusses, the this and the that... But as the new Mirrors Edge has shown us this game is like that for a reason! It's linear so the story can be more involved, the combat is clunky because combat is not advised but still possible and fun! I don't know how people complain about the game being the worst game and getting stuck in sections for hours. I have never had that and I was just a inexperienced knob when this came out. If you just use your brain and look around you will survive no problem. My main complaint is there just isn't enough runny jumpy to go around. I really wish the campaign was a wee bit longer or that they released a expantion pack. Because i like the running and jumping quite a lot. I even dabble in the combat if I'm feeling sassy. This game is still worth your time today as it has always been. if you don't own it this is as good a place as any!
I was expecting a game like Crimsonland or Alien Shooter. What I got was more like a classic shooter with a feel like DOOM 3. You pick up many weapons including a railgun, a minigun and a rocket launcher. All of your weapons can be upgraded with secondary firing modes and more damage output. The game throws more than enough aliens your way for you to turn into so much strawberry jam. Story-wise there is not much to say, an alien invasion attacks a human colony and Isaac Clarke... or Tyler rather, must shoot anything that can't wear a cardigan. You'll be spending a lot of time in the dark but DAMN the lighting in this game is good. While there is co-op this game weirdly doesn't have in-mission saving, I really don't see why not. But other than this it's a fun shooting game with a awesome flashlight mechanic.
While the game takes some practice to play. Get ready to write down notes and print that map. but that's what makes it an adventure. It also has THE best npc conversation mechanic ever made, where you can type: "you mentioned dinosaurs earlier" and the game recognizes the word dinosaur as the key word. much better than ask dudeperson about dinosaurs, i'd pay money for it if it wasn't free
