Played for 3 hours, so far - not what I expected at all :( Ion Mayden is much more dynamic, good looking and optimized much better even in alpha review. And don't even try to compare this so actual classics like Heretic / Hexen. Skill management system is a good thing, but so far - new skill apart from few utility spell do not really add anything to the actual gameplay. Did this game had a potential? Yes. But current implementation is very flat, straightforward and lacks creativity.
As many like to say 'a faithful reboot' of the franchise. And it really is - the spirit and catchy gameplay of the first games is present at its best. Dark, psychotic and violent. If you loved the original/splat-pack games - chances are quite high that you will love this one. If you more preferred 'carpocalypse now' version - this one is probably not will be your favorite. Few things I'd like to whine about : - soundtrack is a not as aggressive and driving as it used to be - some cars are completely impossible to drive - this one actually is just as it was 20 years ago, but I hoped they would fix it :) - on 'hard' level of difficulty it seems like your car is made of paper - it is crushed on every small poke from opponents. on the other hand at 'easy' level - it's just the opposite. So this balance could be improved IMO Overall - 4 start out of 5, great game!
The sound engineer for this one should get an "Oscar" of its kind. When played in a good headset, the game literally pulls you into its unique atmosphere of lonely spacecraft, infected with unknown uncompromising enemy lifeform. Not as re-playable as Deus Ex, it still has its place in All-Time-Hall-of-Fame of cyber-punk classics. With no hi-end over-used visual FX, the game makes you shiver and jump out of chair from time to time. An outstanding masterpiece that once again proves - there's no need for tons of models and textures to create something memorable, touching and as close to piece-of-art as gamedev can get.
