The accents are jarring, the characters look like shock-eyed sex game assets, and I just got thrown out of the bonus mode by some random bug, but you know what. I bought this game at full price, and I am pleased with my desicion. To get the basics out of the way, this is like a lower budget knock off of the Resi 2 remake, look into the production and it all makes sense. But that is not a bad thing, the gameplay is fun if not a little lacking in depth. Zombie, in hallway, you need to shoot it or you get puked on. Simple. As for positives the way they do ammo management is based on magazines wich is really cool. It adds a layer of needing to keep your wits about and staying prepared which is a lovely addition to the survival horror formula. The Character models notwithstanding graphics and enviroments are really nice looking and add to the atmosphere (the hospital was a standout), it really has a Raccoon City feel. Add in some puzzles to change up the gameplay and make you use your noggin, and you are looking at a solid Survival horror experience that is woefully lacking in today's market. They even have safe room music in the very few areas it calls for it. As for the not great, the cutscenes can go on for a little too long at first and don't look great due to the production of the characters, (although a couple of moments when it really needs to count, they make it work.) The game is not organized perfectly (safe rooms, amount of puzzles, and what not) you'll see what I mean. Also one of the few times this game got annoying was during a chase, (you'll know which one) which in concept is a great idea and could be made to work, but is more aggravating than one would expect given how small it is in the scope of the game. Toss in the game not working perfectly always, and I'm sure these shortcomings could miff people quite a bit. So, should you play this? As a lover of survival horror, yes. It's not AAA, but it scratches a much needed itch.
Is Desert bus too thrilling for you? Do you're hours long commutes not have enough droning throat singing for you? Does the Idea of an arcade eagle dogfighting game sound like it might have too much gameplay? Well fear not my stale rye cracker, and read on! Full disclosure, there's a chance I didn't play this game for long enough or in the right way, nor have I done a whole lot of research on it, besides knowing it's a very small team so if this review ends up being complete bunk, keep that in mind. But as a counter point, a game should make someone want to play it and then keep playing it. My experience with the Falconeer involved choosing a rider that makes you think you can choose the appearence-even though it seems randomized with each portrait you go through- to play through a prologue that doesn't seem that important and ends too soon. I then moved onto the main game playing the first chapter. This involved a little bit of dog fighting, but for the most part it was almost entirely made of needlessly going out of your way on a too slow bird going to a place that is not interactive beyond maybe a menu, and then going back all while nothing happend except a guy vibrating his throat in the soundtrack. This signaled to me that the game is mostly made up of the worst kind of padding. The "We wouldn't have any content on this mission otherwise so we need you to go here...great now come back-aren't you glad that took 5 minutes?". I played a little longer then gave up, since it seemed like the bloody game didn't even want me to keep playing since there was no incentive to keep going and it seemed like nothing I did mattered. The game doesn't look bad and actually does have combat, hence the two stars. But it's not engaging like Pirates! It's not fun like Crimson Skies, and I don't consider occasionally seeing a rocky crag exploration. If you want a fun game, avoid this. If you've enjoyed the mediocrity of the nothing games of last decade, then play on.
