..like a FPS fever dream that leaves you with a mild malaise, dodgy hints of satisfaction and a subtle case of regret.
Console: PS3
Personal rating: 5.5
("Been There, Done That" with some "Guilty Pleasure" thrown in for good measure.)
Honestly, I expected more from Rebellion and Bethesda. A lot more, but it is what it is.
And what it is is a game that clearly could have used that much more polish, that much more twisting of various development dials and knobs, that much more tender-loving-care and gamer love as it was put through the production turnstiles.
Blindfire? Check. And this game is reason enough to either put that innovation to death or deem it commonplace in an action game for all time. Don't hype it, please. And I don't need a tutorial on how to crouch. Thanks.
Quick Kills/Stealth Kills? Check. Kind of. The enemy A.I.'s ignorance tends to dampen the thrill of such activity. When a player throws a man off of a ledge for a drop of doom, the A.I. two feet away from the action whose buddy just took a nosedive shouldn't be oblivious. Counterpoint: Neither should the A.I. be alerted so easily. "Yeah, I just poked my head around a corner and you caught a glimpse. Why would you just open fire and start lobbing grenades? In your own territory no less! Pretty dark out here in this odd industrial facility/military base/recycling plant. Maybe I'm a drunk vagrant." They didn't know I was coming so how would they directly know that I'm an enemy? Sidenote: These quick kill acts are well executed in motion, but lose tactical weight when the foes are swinging wildly in actions from tame and unaware to radically aggressive and expending all ammo at any given moment.
Story? Ch-....hmm..uhh no. Not really. Not to give too much away, but you roll solo the entire time-which isn't a bad thing, but the way the player is left to it from the onset of the game is ludicrous, and because of this I found myself crass and that much more critical of the game for the duration. The plot that's threaded (like a pair of slacks from Somalia) through the campaign is laughable. Stereotypical jargon and character archetypes usually don't grind on my gamer nerves as much as I found this title to do. Mickey Rourke provides the voice for the main character Richard "Demo Dick" Marcinko. And while Rourke's bravado and charisma DOES shine through the shoddy dialogue, (supposed) story arcs, etc. it just can't overcome the depravity and hollow willed pulpy schlock that's drenched throughout.
Weapons? Yeah, they're there. No custom load-outs though. Which is lame. P.S. - Why don't more games provide such a feature?
All in all, if one were to find themselves with this disc on their preferred platform it's either because they salivate for shooters and simply must feed the need and fuel that fire for videogame combat OR they had a nasty fibber lie to their face that it was a sweet release.
Or maybe they actually enjoyed the game. In which case, more power to you.
That's all for now!
I bid you adieu.
- commanderPOWER