Maybe it's because I'm not an RPG guy, or maybe I just was never in the right frame of mind to play this game. I don't know. Whenever everyone around you is screaming from the rooftops how great a game is, and yet you think it's trash, you just might wonder if something is up? I have tried getting into this game so many times. Last I checked I clocked in just under 8 hours on this game, and I've given up. I really regret this purchase. It's slow. It's clunky. The dialogue is weird. It's difficult to do the simplest of tasks. I don't like the whole game your "mind" plays with you as you go thru the tiresome dialogue. I feel like I'm constantly just clicking on the next thing to just advance the story hoping something good will eventually happen. Maybe there is a good game here somewhere, but after 8 hours I'm done trying. If you're thumbing thru all of the 5 star reviews and wondering if there could be anything possibly wrong with this title, just know that if you're someone like me who plays mostly action and sports titles, then this game is not for you. I got it because I thought it'd be good to try something different, and I ended up hating it. I think I might be able to understand why some like it because there might be a good story here. But I need my games to get going and do more then just deliver endless trivial dialogue. This doesn't do it for me. Some games are so good they surpass their defined genres, but this game is not one of them.
This is one of the best games I've played on the GoG platform hands down. This game wants to market itself as a love letter to the old Splinter Cell games, and while you have the ability to play that way, you can play this game as a run 'n gun as well; which is how I played it and had a blast. "Screw stealth!" I thought to myself, "I'm going guns blazing!" and it was great fun. For one the controls are excellent. The use of the mouse and keyboard here work extremely well. The AI is absolutely amzing in this game. AAA developers should take note. For example, the bad guys won't just rush at you if its obvious they'll get killed. They work to flank you, or they'll just sit and wait for you to pop your head out. The story is kind of crazy, but it still in a positive way reminded me of an old 80's style action movie plot line. The graphics are what they need to be. Nothing flashy, but just good enough to get the job done. It's all about the game play and having fun. When you're done with the campaign you have the ability to create your own levels, go into New Game + mode, etc. There is still a lot to do here. I'll definitely be putting more time into this one. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!
This game reminds me a lot of the first Deus Ex game with modern graphics. Even that game had its flaws. Is this game perfect. No. It doesn't need to. For me, this game ticks all of the boxes to be entertaining. Great gun play. Great story. An RPG progression system that rides that fine line between too simple and too complicated. There are some bugs still here for sure as I'm a new owner when they released the 1.5 patch. Characters will stutter and float thru objects sometimes. Traffic on the streets doesn't always act as you would think it should. The gameplay as a whole feels a little off at times. Driving is a little clunky as well. Don't expect to drive around the city like you would in GTA. Despite all of that, I still highly recommend this game. I brought up Deus Ex at the begining because over 8 hours in and I have those same vibes as I did when I fired that same game up some 20 odd years ago. That game has a lot of flaws with it as well that haven't aged well. Yet, I still re-install it from time to time to go thru the game again. A game with a great story has a tendancy to do that. With this game, that just might be its overall saving grace here. There's a sense of freedom in how you accomplish your missions. There is a world here you can explore. The sci-fi/cyberpunk look really looks great here. There is always an overall great sense of tension and consequence to the game as you progress. Besides, good ol' Keanu Reeves is in it ;). Is it the breathtaking magnam opus some of us were hoping it is? No. However, that shouldn't prevent you from at least picking it up when it goes on sale. If you like action first person shooters with RPG elements thrown in you should like it. It's an overall great experience that you shouldn't overlook.
Cryptark has me reviewing my first game on GOG for good reason. Total Bisket on YouTube peeked my interest with this game, and I'm very happy to say that I took his advice. Cryptark does a fantastic job mixing rogue like elements, strategy, and a basic story line over the basic architecture of shooter/shoot 'em up gameplay. One thing that really makes this game stand apart from most other shooters is that it forces you to make good choices. What exactly does that mean? Well, take your average AAA game lately where you have infinite amounts of check points and save states to help you through situations where if you make a mistake you can always load back to that point. That is not the case in this game. Once you make a decision you must stick to it. If you fail you can either keep trudging on or start the game all over again. For some this will be a deterent. For me, it was a welcome challenge. It's not normally an acceptable element to a game, but for this game it does work because all in all you could theoretically beat the game in a matter of hours. So starting over isn't necessarily a horrific thing, but it does present another element to the challenge. Planning your route into each level is also a very welcome fresh take on this genre. Plus, the rogue like nature has these levels never be the same. So if you start all over, then you are starting with fresh levels. Even the graphic style of the game is intriguing to me with the hybrid 16/32 bit asthetic. If I had any complaints it would be with the control scheme. I think a twin stick style of gameplay would work here, but instead you are forced to use either a keyboard and mouse system similar to a first person shooter layout, or via control pad where the control scheme feels something generated out of the 90s. I highly recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of the shooter genre that wants something unique sprinkled in. This game does it phenomenally, and should provide significant value for your money.
