The atmosphere and overall vibe of this game is utterly unique. I've searched for years. If it works on you, then you will replay this game until you just can't play it again because there's nowhere else to get what it gives you.
I hated this game. Community theater tier cut scenes. Clumsy game play. Weirdly sluggish graphics on a box that is generations evolved beyond the game release date. As soon as I got to one of the earliest objectives and it was a "beat the clock" mission I knew I was in playing a dud. When you don't have any actual ideas for a game, just add a timer. Anything is exciting if you're under pressure to do it fast!
Amazing graphics for as old as this game is. With a GTX 960 at 1080 and every render option cranked, their benchmark never got under something like 100 fps. I never saw a skipped frame playing. Yet the graphics look WAY better than other stuff from 2005, with lighting that exceeds what I see in some current games. True, one of the ways they achieve this is to keep the world small, but that fits the game plot. The AI is ahead of its time as well. They dodge and flank realistically. You can pin them down or slow down shooting and they advance into the proximity mine you planted for them. I had some issues because of some global NVidia settings I had made, but when I turned those off I didn't have a single bug in the game that I can remember. All of the elements of the game work together, the graphics, music, physics, etc, it's nicely done. You get a quick save, (and you'll need it). You get tons of useful options and full configurable controls. The "T" key, which is basically the console, serves as a great old fashioned pause, as in freezes instantly no matter what - even in a cut scene including stopping the sound. I wish all games had that. I guess if I have a downside it can be a little repetitive, same type of enemy in the same type of environment most of the game.
