Resident Evil on a boat.
STORY: 6
The story is very generic stuff, Russian scientists, secret experiments, underground labs, mutated creatures, you know the drill, most of it you learn as you find memos, diary pages and documents left behind, you only come in contact with a couple of characters so don't expect much from the cut scenes, there's very few of them, and they're kinda short.
GRAPHICS: 7
The graphics in this game are good, weather, fire and other effects are cool to look at. It does get kinda creepy at times because most of the game takes place in the dark, you have to use your weapon mounted flashlight to see what's ahead of you, steam pipes, electric panels and flashing lights give the game a cool Alien/Aliens vibe, the character/creature designs are ok, but I've seen better on the PS2.
SOUND: 7
The sound effects are just ok, everything you'd expect is here, from gunfights in the distance, people yelling and screaming, to adequate zombie moans and satisfying brain splattering shotgun blasts, the voice acting is terrible, it reminds me of the first Resident Evil game. The music is very fitting, my only complaint is that there isn't enough of it. The game can be played in French or Spanish too, which I think is a neat added feature.
GAMEPLAY: 7
There are some control issues, but being able to move and shoot at the same time is cool, head shots are vital in order to conserve ammo for the boss fights, so I suggest looking everywhere and searching every body, as for health packs, there seems to be just enough of them, but not being able to store them once you life bar is full, is really a bad idea in my book, also, there's plenty of cheap deaths, but at least most of them occur after a saving spot. A couple of awful sub-boss fights turn out to be masterpieces compared to the final boss, and at under 10 hours, experienced players will finish this game in just a couple of days.
REPLAY: 6
Beating the game once is enough to unlock the artwork, stills and advertising materials, the game's only extra features, the only reason you might want to play this again is if you want to endure the challenge of the highest difficulty setting.
OVERALL: 7
If you like the genre, you'll have a good time with this game, and then you'll move on the bigger and better things, a solid rental for a weekend of good, forgettable fun, a purchase only if you collect games or if you like taking your time playing.