- Joined
- Aug 14, 2008
- Messages
- 2,921
OK finished the demo on Rare and now I have more well-founded thoughts overall.
Good:
+ Meaty melee combat with some fun options like kick and grappling.
+ Balls to the wall challenging. Reminds me of how enemies behave in Blood, where there's little margin for error once they spot you.
+ Guns are impactful now that I've played some more. Apart from the pistol and garbage sniper, all guns seem to have some use in different situations.
+ Game oozes style in its soundtrack and presentation (though the music gets repetitive after a while).
+ Fun bosses so far.
+ Characters seem inoffensively written despite female protag. For now, at least.
Meh:
= The platforming in this game is passable but not well implemented, at times rage inducing. I can't pinpoint what it is. Maybe it's the low fidelity graphics. Maybe it's just how the damn thing works. Maybe it's because I feel spoilt in this regard after having completed Ghostrunner recently, which did platforming very well.
= Map design is a mixed bag. It's linear for the most part with some interconnectivity. I would liken this to Strife, but Strife's maps felt better due to being less cramped. There are environmental objects that you can use to your advantage, but they are too poorly placed so you're just better off dodging and shooting than actually using them.
Shit:
- I really hate the interface. It's nice that it's all in real-time, but unlike other games that use it too (eg System Shock), everything lags and requires multiple clicks. Want to select the detonator? Scroll to the damn thing, click on it, wait for the animation to pop up (how come stun bombs don't need animations?), then finally fling it. At harder difficulties where enemies have faster response times, be prepared to save scum a lot if you want to use gadgets.
- Item physics are awful. You can drag certain objects but you can't throw them. There's no point to moving objects, not that you'd want to anyway because it's like moving a 500kg brick.
- Visuals, as I said, are very crowded. At times it's hard to tell an enemy from environmental detail. Other times, it's hard to tell what you can wall hop on.
Another thing to mention: it's really not an imsim in the vein of DX or even EYE. You can see some inspiration in the visuals and style, but the pacing of the game means there's only one way to play it: as a run and gun shooter. Occasionally you might be able to torch an enemy with gas or zap them with conduit boxes. But, just stick with conventional weaponry. I think if you look at it that way, it becomes more acceptable for what it is.
Good:
+ Meaty melee combat with some fun options like kick and grappling.
+ Balls to the wall challenging. Reminds me of how enemies behave in Blood, where there's little margin for error once they spot you.
+ Guns are impactful now that I've played some more. Apart from the pistol and garbage sniper, all guns seem to have some use in different situations.
+ Game oozes style in its soundtrack and presentation (though the music gets repetitive after a while).
+ Fun bosses so far.
+ Characters seem inoffensively written despite female protag. For now, at least.
Meh:
= The platforming in this game is passable but not well implemented, at times rage inducing. I can't pinpoint what it is. Maybe it's the low fidelity graphics. Maybe it's just how the damn thing works. Maybe it's because I feel spoilt in this regard after having completed Ghostrunner recently, which did platforming very well.
= Map design is a mixed bag. It's linear for the most part with some interconnectivity. I would liken this to Strife, but Strife's maps felt better due to being less cramped. There are environmental objects that you can use to your advantage, but they are too poorly placed so you're just better off dodging and shooting than actually using them.
Shit:
- I really hate the interface. It's nice that it's all in real-time, but unlike other games that use it too (eg System Shock), everything lags and requires multiple clicks. Want to select the detonator? Scroll to the damn thing, click on it, wait for the animation to pop up (how come stun bombs don't need animations?), then finally fling it. At harder difficulties where enemies have faster response times, be prepared to save scum a lot if you want to use gadgets.
- Item physics are awful. You can drag certain objects but you can't throw them. There's no point to moving objects, not that you'd want to anyway because it's like moving a 500kg brick.
- Visuals, as I said, are very crowded. At times it's hard to tell an enemy from environmental detail. Other times, it's hard to tell what you can wall hop on.
Another thing to mention: it's really not an imsim in the vein of DX or even EYE. You can see some inspiration in the visuals and style, but the pacing of the game means there's only one way to play it: as a run and gun shooter. Occasionally you might be able to torch an enemy with gas or zap them with conduit boxes. But, just stick with conventional weaponry. I think if you look at it that way, it becomes more acceptable for what it is.
