Possibly The Greatest Shooter Of All Time.
The story is something like this; you are an agent, in the year 2023, your company has made contact with some Aliens called the Maians. Another company called DataDYNE has also contacted some Aliens, these however are Hostile and wish to exterminate the Maians, using a superweapon from another Extraterrestrial Spacecraft hidden on the ocean floor. Obviously you cant let this happen.
The gameplay has all the basic elements of a usual First Person Shooter, all you see is the environment, your gun and the enemies. Similarly you have a limited amount of ammo and so must pick up guns from your enemies. Stealth is usually your best friend, especially if your playing on Perfect difficulty. (Although i prefer running in all guns blazing). There are some new aspects though, each gun has a primary and secondary mode, and you can carry most guns 1 in each hand, very fun. In addition Rarre introduced the unique reloading of every gun. (Previously the guns just went of screen and came back fully loaded) Nothing major but it's just better in general.
The graphics on this game were brilliant for the time. Every level looks stunning and each gun looks sharp and clearly defined. The way that your enemies blood splats onto the wall behind them was well pulled off, looking quite real at the time. This was the first shooter i had played which saw blood actualy staining the wall and floor, rather than dissipating in the air. In addition to that not every single body dissolved into the floor. You could take out a few guards, go off somewhere, come back and find a few of them still there. That was the first time I had ever saw that in a game.
Your enemies also have good AI, especially for the time. As soon as your noticed the alarm is raised and then your shot at. Better than some games today where they try to kill and then alert. If you shoot your enemies weapon out of their hand, they beg for their life and some treacherous enemies pull out a pistol as you walk off.
The multi-player on this game is truly award-wining. Team up with 4 friends and go head-to-head with up to 8 Simulants. Simulants also referred to as Bots, are computer controlled enemies which you either work with or agents. Bots are revolutionary and are missing from nearly all modern games. Everything about them can be customized, appearance, difficulty and even playing characteristics (E.G some only go for the top player, whilst others search for players on low health.) Similarly your characters appearance can be customized and all your achievements stored on the game. Your multiplayer rank starts at Rank 21 - Beginner and goes all the way down to Rank 1 - Perfect. There are seven different Games to choose from;
1) Combat ( A Typical free for all)
2) Team Combat (Team Deathmatch)
3) Capture the case ( Steal the opponents case and "capture" it)
4) Hold the Briefcase (Hold the case for the longest time possible)
5) King of The Hill (one region of the level is the "hill" capture it)
6) Hacker Central (Hack a computer for points)
7) Pop a Cap (Kill the target)
As if that is not enough there is the Carrington Institute to explore, If you do not wish to do the story. Inside the Institute are Combat Training Facilities such as the Firing Range, Combat Instructor and the Gadget Room. The firing range is particularly good, every new weapon you find is available to use. It is also possible to explore the institute with the FLY-BY-WIRE Slayer rocket, and discover a random piece of cheese ion the roof.
Overall this game goes down as one of the greatest First Person Shooters ever made. It has everything you ever need: A compelling Storyline, Legendary Multiplayer, brilliant gameplay and many mini-games, such as the firing range. A Perfect Game.