Like many other people, I downloaded the demo because I saw some stills that looked good. And I had 15 minutes to kill in front of a PS3 that was already turned on. Might as well.
And like many people, the demo floored me. Absolutely brilliant moments. I'm not going to spoil any of them for you, but honestly I haven't been this creeped out by playing a game since the first zombie encounter in Resident Evil, when I first learned that you even could be creeped out by a video game.
The full game does not disappoint. Fair warning, I bought the 360 version (the sensible thing to do for just about any multi-SKU title). They did an excellent job of not giving away the story in the demo, while still giving you a great taste of the game. There are plenty more "oh wow" moments.
I will say that the story is a little weak but not bad. The ending is a bit of a letdown. I like in game stories, I was fine with what I got, but I can't say it is a highlight. What's brilliant is the sound, pacing and level design. You will be on the edge of your seat for most of this game. Sometimes the sheer brilliance is wandering through empty hallways, waiting for the next shoe to drop.
Like most modern shooters, there are puzzle moments in the game, but they're not particularly challenging, and I don't thick they are designed to be challenging. They're in there for variety but they don't slow the game down. This is not Half Life 2 or Portal. You feel briefly smart, then get back to shooting things. I don't have a whole lot of time or attention span for involved puzzles, so this works just fine for me.
I'm happy with the range of weapons and grenades. I certainly have my preferences. Even the lowly handgun has its moments. I very much like the "reflex time" component of the game. It does certainly change how you play, especially when faced with unappealing weapons choices at any particular moment of the game.
Getting to pilot the mech suit is a bonus. Frankly it's hard to lose when you're inside a mech suit, but man is it satisfying. For those of you who play these games to blow stuff up, you will be loving these moments.
The AI is ok. I think sometimes the bad guys spot you when they shouldn't, and sometimes they're not real bright. There are some nice in-action scripted moments that I don't want to spoil, but I think these really add to the atmosphere and separate the good games from the mediocre ones.
In whole I can definitely recommend this game to first person shooter and survival horror fans. The environments are brilliant, and as a shooter I feel it brings enough to the table to keep me happy.
2011 ben langberg, all rights reserved.