All the elements of this games single and multiplayer combine to create a great game that is hard to put down.
Gameplay/Single Player:
The game obviously takes place in space. Your playing as Isaac, a survivor of an alien attack on your ship. The main objective basically is to find a way out. You'll run into 2 other survivors on the way. Unfortunately, you'll often find yourself doing missions for them rather than with them (I prefer with them so it is not as scary :P). You battle your way through different arrays of setting, whether it's a run down hospital or straight out floating in space. Enemies are plentiful, and although you'll face some of the same ones often, there is always a good mixture for each level. Each scenario seems so well thought out and i never found myself bored. When i was in the action, i wanted it to stop so i could survive, and when i wasn't, i was simply craving the challenge. One of my favourite things about this game is when you press down on the right stick, a pathway appears showing you which direction you need to go to get to your objective. I dont know how many times in other games i stood there trying to figure out where to go.
As you play through the game you'll come across weapon stores and weapon modifiers (Benches). While here you can upgrade your suit, buy ammo/health, and purchase weapons. To go along with save stations there are checkpoints which make dying not so bad. There are a wide variety of weapons, each one as cool as the other, although some are useless (Force gun shoots air at enemies and they fall down, then get back up and kill you :/).From blowing someone up with an intense beam to picking off limbs with a plasma pistol, it's all here. Your players reactions are kind of slow, but the amazing shooting in this game and cool effects of guns allows you to blow past enemies, If you like sci-fi weapons you have never used before, this has many many cool ones. In addition to weapons you can make enemies freeze in time, and you can pick objects and throw them, almost like using the force. This comes in very handy. Killing enemies can be somewhat difficult and ammo always seems to be low but this adds to the intensity of the game. It's tons of fun to shoot at enemies and pick apart their limbs, forcing them to crawl to your feet. Of course, the last thing i wanna say is that this game can be fairly scary especially if you play by yourself in a dark room. This scary element absolutely makes the game so much more addictive and exciting to play.The single player is great, you will never find yourself in the same situation and the different tasks are fun and unique, making this highly fun and addictive.
Multiplayer:
Unfortunately, i dont have too much playing time on this, but from what i played it was quite a bit a of fun. This is a very smart addition to the game which will liven the community and make the lasting appeal even greater.
Visuals/Sound:
The graphics in this game are very good, even though its kinda hard to say when you're in the dark 95% of the time. Settings are ever changing and everything does look great adding to the intensity of the game. The creature look very scary and well thought, and being in space seems also very realistic. The visuals in this game are half the battle when it comes to making the game scary. The little sounds in the background and the scary music make this game thrilling. The sounds of the different guns also add to the great shooting that is in this game.
All in all, this is a great game that has finally found a mix between a lengthy, fulfilling campaign, with a fun multiplayer aspect. This is a definite pick up if your a fan of the sci-fi genre.
Gameplay: 9
Audio: 9
Visuals: 9
Lasting Appeal: 9