While it’s certainly a notable shooter on the Xbox, the praise it’s received is undeserved.
The plot basically follows its pc predecessor in that your boat gets blown up, you have to save the world, hot lady, scientists, monsters, mutation, and shooting. Lots and lots of shooting. The twist this time around is that your character gets caught and injected with some of that jungle fever that drives the natives wild, and you receive some powers that make the gameplay a bit more amusing if not diverse or unique.
The gameplay is changed from a sneak/shoot/run affair in the pc version to a run and gun style, which sucks out the joy of the jungle environments. The fact that you can hold two weapons at once even speaks of the developers intent to quicken the pace of play. Might as well be Quake, because the enemy knows your living, and is coming over to say hello with violence.
The weapons are typical, and don’t really stand out. Your pistols, sub-machine guns, rocket launcher, sniper rifle, etc… are all making an appearance, and are generally fun to shoot, but don’t stand out in any particular way.
The vehicles are pretty average, which the ATV’s, boats, and cars making an appearance, but aren’t great.
The graphics have been lauded as some of the finest on the Xbox, but I would have to disagree, as what I see on my television doesn’t scream excellence or performance to me. Granted the frame rate is excellent, and the textures are well done, but the models look shoddy.
The sound is excellent in the game, with the shots, voice acting, explosions, and expected bleeps and bloops are all above average.
This game performs far below expected levels for something so anticipated, but for those looking for the next shooter without a high bar, this will be worth a rent.