Ugh, I don't know what to make of this having completed it. It's a solid shooting engine (You'd expect nothing less from FRD) with nothing more than functional graphics (The HDR effect as you come out into the open is rather nice though).
The problem for me is the narrative. Not necessarily the story itself, which is decent enough, but the fact that they're CONSTANTLY hitting you over the head with it.
I fully believe that the behaviour of the Mantel troops in the beginning is to make you hate them - that works without a doubt. But they don't need to make it so in your face, I really think they've underestimated their audience (Or maybe they took note of Harvey Smith getting pissed that nobody got how 'subversive' Blacksite was and wanted to avoid it?
).
Then the side switch happens, you're introduced to probably the only half decent character in the game
. And shortly afterwards you're thrust back into the same squad scenario just with South American accents shouting the same 10 comments over and over and over...
The squad AI is truly awful. They're constantly running in front of you, pushing you into the open when you're trying to pop out of cover (Which would be so much easier if there were a cover system) - I've downed my own squad mates more times than I care to remember. This is all, of course, when they're capable of keeping up properly rather than falling behind and just spawning in around you accompanied by a 'squad catching up' message.
The driving sections are too long (More than one second) and there are too many of them (More than none), the handling is really poor.
And there's a ridiculous cut scene
AND they make the final
The one overwhelming positive though is that it's over now and I can start Portal.
The problem for me is the narrative. Not necessarily the story itself, which is decent enough, but the fact that they're CONSTANTLY hitting you over the head with it.
I fully believe that the behaviour of the Mantel troops in the beginning is to make you hate them - that works without a doubt. But they don't need to make it so in your face, I really think they've underestimated their audience (Or maybe they took note of Harvey Smith getting pissed that nobody got how 'subversive' Blacksite was and wanted to avoid it?
).Then the side switch happens, you're introduced to probably the only half decent character in the game
. And shortly afterwards you're thrust back into the same squad scenario just with South American accents shouting the same 10 comments over and over and over...
The squad AI is truly awful. They're constantly running in front of you, pushing you into the open when you're trying to pop out of cover (Which would be so much easier if there were a cover system) - I've downed my own squad mates more times than I care to remember. This is all, of course, when they're capable of keeping up properly rather than falling behind and just spawning in around you accompanied by a 'squad catching up' message.
The driving sections are too long (More than one second) and there are too many of them (More than none), the handling is really poor.
And there's a ridiculous cut scene
AND they make the final
The one overwhelming positive though is that it's over now and I can start Portal.
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