...and being an old game hasn't made it any better. This game features all the fatal flaws of a failed shooter. Horrible AI that while being hopelessly retarded is also godly accurate with any gun at any distance. Stealth mechanics that just don't work and force you to resort to save/reload trial and error to complete missions, which while frustrating wouldn't be all that terrible if you were not limited to a set number of saves per mission. Maybe if the game was interesting otherwise, be it through the plot or level design or game play mechanics, it might be redeemed despite the above flaws - but it's not. The plot is a confusing mess, the levels while large are ugly and boring and the missions themselves start to feel like a repetitive chore before you're even on your second mission. Don't get me wrong, this isn't really a bad game - it's just not a good one. It's completely forgettable and for all the things it does right, there are plenty of games that do it better. This was true when IGI2 was released, and it's even more true today. Open world and freedom? Play Operation Flashpoint. Tactical fights? Play Ghost Recon. Stealth? Splinter Cell.
This is a review for MAX, not MAX2 which falls short of being a great game like MAX was. MAX is a fantastic game and there really hasn't been a game released that's quite like it. The base building, resource gathering, scouting and combat system are very well done and engaging. The best part in MAX from my perspective is the unit upgrade system - you can either buy upgrades for gold or you can research them. Buying them gets you a flat increase, say 1 more movement point, researching it gives you 10% better stats in the area you researched. There are no limits to how much you can research or upgrade your units. Keep in mind though, the game has flaws, even fully patched it's not the most stable game in the world, you can run into a scenario where your savegame is unusable because the game crashes at the end of turn. The AI leaves a lot to be desired so it's best to play against several AIs. There is a multiplayer mode, but frankly the game is a bit too slow paced for it in my opinion.
