In a few words - this is everythng Quake 2 should have been. I bought it when it first came out and had loads of fun with it. It's a shame it seems to be stuck in development limbo - after completing the initial hub world, I am quite anxious to see where this journey wiil take me. But so far so good. Good to see all the little improvements to iron out stuff liike monster AI, difficulty spikes etc., though not gonna lie - would like to see a more substantial update. Hurry up devs!
Gave this game 2 stars because at the time it came out I guess the graphics were good. Otherwise it would be 1. In short: I gave up on the mission where you have to find two bundles of dynamite while fighting a massive monster, while being attacked by zombies, while warding off enemy soldiers, AND while the timer was ticking. And OK, the monster is easy, and the zombies are a nuisance if anything, and the soldiers are no threat. But finding a tiny f***ing bundle of dynamite hidden somewhere on a convoluted map while doing all this s**t only to find that you have to find another bundle BECAUSE THE GAME WANTS YOU TO is just ridiculous. And you get like solid 4 minutes to do all this. And yes, I eventually found the damn bundles, both of them, but only after repeating the level until I remembered the locations and enemy attack sequences. Just like on a NES back in the 90s. F**k this game. F**k it with turnips. That was just the final drop in the bucket. Before this, I had issues with glitchy engine that would hurl me in the air whenever I stepped over protruding terrain (finding yourself out of map bounds within the first few minutes wasn't fun), the game would sometimes skip an entire section of a mission, the weapon system is what you get in Duke Nukem Forever but worse, the dialogue is cringe-inducing at best, and it's possible to actually block your progress permanently if you save at a wrong place and time (a semi-cutscene with a bulletproof guy blocing your way is a good example - if you kill the enemy soldier that hurls a grenade at him and miss your gas lamp shot, then save, you may as well start the whole game all over again). Then there is clunky controls, screen shaking all the time as if your guy was going through an epilepic seisure, overall unpolished mechanics, pacing issues and an incoherent story that makes little sense. Christ what a clusterf***k of a game. If you want a good shooter from the oden days, get Return to Castle Wolfenstein instead.
I saw a handful of negative reviews on GOG / Steam thrashing this game to high heavens. Too much like wolf3d, no jumping, boring, ugly, buy Ion Maiden etc. And even though most ppl rave about it, I got to say these particular reviews made me hesitate for a good while. But then saw a video review by Gggmanlives on YT and gave it a go. Especially that it was only a tenner. I installed it today and after one sitting I am two thirds into the second world (out of total five). And I have to say, very few games had me hooked in as much as this one. Ever. I don't know why some people put so much effort into slamming this game. The graphics is something to behold. Everything - from sprites, textures, all the way to the balanced blend between old-school palette and modern post-processing, is simply beautiful. The music, while repetetive, has some really catchy hooks here and there. Most importantly however, the gameplay is pretty damn sweet. The monsters' toughness feels just about right - you'll find plenty one-hit trashmobs as well as tough bruisers on your way. The weapons feel satisfying as hell (handgun / shotguns are my favs so far). They are well balanced and there is no useless weapon - they all have their purpose. Level design somehow isn't confusing at all - maps are neither too simple nor too complex, and it's always easy to find your way. Upgrade system is OK so far (been upgrading weapons and stats only). And the atmosphere is something no words can describe. I don't know why anyone would bash this game as hard as some people do. It's simply fantastic, plain and simple. Sure it's pixelated and the colours are drab, but if you're gonna point out this, you may as well criticize Ion Maiden for using Build engine. Sure, it may not be everyone's cup of tea. If you love realism, you're prolly better off with modern day shooters. But if you like originality and some good, old school fun without cutscenes / quicktime events, you're gonna love this game.
