You have to give this one a chance for it to pay off. If you don't like it by level 6, give my review a thumbs down.
1. (Game play) Some of the puzzles were either too hard or too easy from what I noticed; if the puzzle is unsolvable, you probably have a bug and need to reload the last save (they are generous thankfully). Accurate controls for game pads; I have been spoiled with COD4 and other games that would offer features such as slower movement when aiming through sights, accurate grenade tosses, and better crosshairs. The adrenaline feature is nice when you remember it and the dual pistol and sword action is really fluid.
2. (Graphics) As mentioned above, this started out really bad. It resembled the start of the first COD with bad dialogue. The textures varied and ranged from bad to good. Character models were similar to games from a decade ago and you could see AI bugs to the point where you could shoot enemy hand sticking through walls and kill them while they were trying to go after you. Once the demons and undead starting coming after you, you will see that this actually changes quite a bit. Some of the models are really sweet, however it will range through the entire play through. It kind of reminds me of OpenGL when it was first released with F.A.K.K. 2. Not nexgen but good enough to play through it.
3. (Story) First off, the dialogue is bad at times. If you can look past the grammar errors and the unauthentic accents, the story is really interesting. I will mention this once again but if you were a fan a Darkness, this will be something you would really be interested in. It has war, occult, and deception with a post-apocalyptic feeling. One thing I liked, the load screens and game would fill you in to the story through letters written from the soldier perspectives -some upbeat and others grim. My favorite part of the game is the fact that when you feel like the game is over, it really starts to begin. You never know what to expect with this one which is good.
4. (Controls) At first, I really struggled with this one. Once upon a time, I actually preferred playing a FPS with a mouse and keyboard but with the recent console power with combination of a 61" LED DLP HDTV, I found myself really having a hard time to adapt with my new laptop's keyboard scheme -I guess I spoiled myself and failed to take the time to adjust (not bragging but once you get a little older with stable job, stuff like this will come with time). If you like game pads, this game has absolutely no support. I ended up using XPadder software with a wired Xbox 360 controller and it worked out quite well.
Overall, once you hit the middle of the game it completely changes. It starts out hard and uneventful but leads you into a typical feeling you get when going through Resistance 2/ Half Life 2 when you really start to feel powerful and able the achieve anything. I think the studio that created this game has a lot of imagination in their story telling and (even if it was not a big budget) they really deserve more credit for this title than what people have mentioned in other reviews. Now, I know how people are so at least give this a shot until level 6 before you give me a thumbs down on the review. Trust me, this will draw you in and it will be fun.