It was okay at first, but the game is utterly ruined by respawning enemies. Auto-op fabricators respawn enemies at an unacceptable rate. It is especially frustrating when an auto-op fabricator is out of sight. It is even more frustrating when not only is it hidden around a corner, but it is protected by a shield. Normally, it is obvious how to deactivate the shield. Just shoot a red button, then unload on the glowing purple spawn points. But I gave up at a point where I was unable to find a way to stop the rapid enemy spawns (literally every two or three seconds, it feels like). I was supposed to destroy the core then escape, but it seems impossible because the core absorbs so much gunfire and rockets that I'm either killed or so severly damaged by the time the final countdown starts that I can't make it to the escape hatch. It's near impossible to avoid gunfire when enemies spawn all around you and shoot you from behind. It feels like a complete waste of ammunition and time. It also has pretty bad performance, but not terrible. At 1080p with everything cranked up, I can't maintain a consistent 144 frames per second. The framerate hovers around 90 to 120 frames per second, rarely hitting 144 frames per second, with occasional drops to around 80 frames per second. Turning down shadow quality, post-processing and anti-aliasing has little impact on performance. The only way to get a somewhat consistent 144 frames per second is to drop the resolution to 1600x900. My computer can handle Doom 2016 at a flawless 144 fps, Doom Eternal at a fairly consistent 144 fps with high/ultra settings at 1080p with dynamic resolution enabled and Rage 2 with mixed settings at 1080p, Shadow Warrior 2 maxed out at 1080p no problem whatsoever hitting 144 fps. I can imagine people with entry-level or older configurations having difficulty maintaining a modest 1080p 60 fps target with this game. The seizure inducing particle effects are also not a welcome feature.
The most refined character movement in an FPS game. It's like Quake movement on steroids. The player is in control at all times and doesn't need to rely on gimmicks like Doom Eternal's janky yellow pipes. The art design is beautiful and the levels are incredibly complex and sprawling. One of the best FPS games of all time. If id Software still had any sense (or talent), their name would be on this game... or if Raven wasn't sentenced to 40 years hard labor in Activision's Call of Duty gulag. What a shame.
One of the most frustrating experiences of my life. Horrible level design and even worse shooting mechanics. It's almost like the game uses "automiss" which is the opposite of autoaim, of course. Frankly, some of the stiffest and least satisfying shooting of all time, which is a terrible shame because it is a Quake 2 engine game. Don't even try to kill anybody with an unmodded pistol or lead pipe. Once you get your hands on the magnum mod for the pistol it becomes a bit more useful but not by much. Enemies still run all over the place completely at random and shuffle side to side during firefights, making themselves incredibly annoying to hit with such a crappy weapon with a low rate of fire. The level desgin is so bad. For example, you'll venture into an area and progress to a point only to realize it's a completely dead end. Turns out you have to backtrack to talk to some guy you didn't notice before, and he's just standing in an alleyway somewhere. The structure is like Hexen, only very poorly done. I really can't recommend Kingpin: Life of Crime unless you're a masochist who enjoys painful trial and error gameplay. In which case buy it right now, because it is definitely a game that is difficult in all the wrong ways.
Shadow Warrior is my favorite of the build game trilogy. It doesn't take itself too seriously, that's for sure. It's loud, immature and excessive in almost every way possible. It's a shame they don't make 'em like this anymore. Fortunately, we seem to be in the midst of a first person shooter renaissance. Dusk, Wrath: Aeon of Ruin, Ion Fury, Project Warlock and Amid Evil are all exceptional titles worthy of occupying the same shelf as Shadow Warrior. Shadow Warrior isn't the hardest first person shooter of its day, but it still isn't afraid to kick your ass. It requires constant, unwavering attention when played on the two highest difficulty settings. You're sure to encounter some BS traps along the way and what is a classic FPS without one or two frustrating enemies. Blood has those hands that choke you, Half-Life has Headcrabs, Serious Sam has Beheaded Kamikazes and Shadow Warrior has Shadow Ninjas and Bees. This isn't really a negative. Every FPS requires just the right amount of frustration. It makes clearing a stage more satisfying. Too much frustration, however, can cause a player to up and quit on the spot. Fortunately, Shadow Warrior maintains a perfect balance throughtout most of the experience. Shadow Warrior has a surprising amount of depth to the gameplay without having a multitude of perks and abilities that need to be upgraded. This boring ability upgrade progression system (or however you choose to refer to it) has been used excessively by developers in more recent titles, in my honest opinion. The real formula to complex and enjoyable gameplay is creative level design, enemy variety and unique weapons- which Shadow Warrior has in spades. The only difficulty is in blending all three aspects and ensuring they all co-exist in perfect harmony. Shadow Warrior pulls employs to formula to great effect and makes for an intoxicating experience. Hours upon hours can pass without notice while playing. Do yourself a favour and buy this game.
Wrath feels like a true Quake spinoff or sequel. There are many throwback FPS game out there, but Wrath is the only one that feels authentic to me. Other games, such as Dusk, attempt to emulate the magical simplicity of 1990s shooter games but really fall short. I am very excited for the full version. Shooting feels meaty, chunky, messy and absolutely brutal. GIBS GALORE! Admittedly, all the weapons are unoriginal. One gun is exactly like the nailgun from Quake and another is exactly like the grenade launcher from another 3D Realms game: PREY (2006). But they feel great and look nice, so who cares?! Some of the enemy desings are ripped straight from other classic games. For example, one enemy is basically a Cacodemon from Doom.
