I played this over the course of two days at a friend's house. Oddly I played it when he was asleep with ANOTHER FRIEND WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE ASSOCIATED WITH GBATEMP and lent me the game.
I didn't think much of the game until I read reviews that weren't trashing it for being a boring military shooter. I mean on one hand it kinda is but it got huge praises for a story you actually give a shit about. Also Yahtzee Croshaw even gave it a thumbs up (something he RARELY does) so that peaked my interest. Also it was thrown into my lap by A FRIEND WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE ASSOCIATED WITH GBATEMP so why not play it?
It's a rather strong game. Narrative wise it's very good. "Mature" is a good word to describe it. But not the "mature" you think of. It's not overly controversial or intentionally trying to gather some publicity by what it pulls and the "mature" label isn't an excuse to be drawn out graphic sex scenes in it like other games that may or may not be The Witcher 2. It's "mature" in a Mass Effect way. It has flawed characters and it explores a lot of controversial topics and themes.
First thing I'll mention is that it actually has like 5 endings, which is something that should pique the interest of all those "I HATE COD CUZ SINGLE PLAYER ON IT SUX" people. While yeah, it is only a 5-ish hour single player with little point in replaying outside of your standard collectibles and difficulty options, it presents a great story that compliments the 5 hours. Anything longer would feel too drawn out here and would be repeating the motions honestly. So while it being short may be a flaw for the game, it's a compliment for the story.
It also does a lot of great things here. It does give you choice in moral decisions. I'll say that these really have no relevance on the plot as the endings are all up to your choice at the end and not the sum of your choices throughout the game but it works here for a reason. The choices aren't meant to change up how the game develops, but more so weigh on the player. The game does blur between you and the main character and taps on the fourth wall now and then to show just how much of what happens is the game is caused by you and the character. Even the loading screens will remind you that the game is YOUR fault.
So yes, it's a sad game, there's no bright ending here, but it's deep, it's dark, and it's gritty. Not in the "it tries too hard" sense, but more that it just needs to be that way for the subject material.
The downside I guess is that, game wise, it is a rather generic TPS. You crouch behind chesthigh walls while samey bad guys shoot and you and you peek and shoot. There's some minor aspects like sand, which becomes pretty prominent. You can shoot glass behind an enemy for example to have the sand behind it pour out and knock them out. There will also be sandstorms at certain parts that make the game a bit more run and gunny. You also get two teammates to sic on select bad guys but it's still very generic.
But gameplay is hardly everything in a game and I suggest playing the game for a fantastic story. Maybe wait for a cheaper price point of like $20 or so.
I didn't think much of the game until I read reviews that weren't trashing it for being a boring military shooter. I mean on one hand it kinda is but it got huge praises for a story you actually give a shit about. Also Yahtzee Croshaw even gave it a thumbs up (something he RARELY does) so that peaked my interest. Also it was thrown into my lap by A FRIEND WHO MAY OR MAY NOT BE ASSOCIATED WITH GBATEMP so why not play it?
It's a rather strong game. Narrative wise it's very good. "Mature" is a good word to describe it. But not the "mature" you think of. It's not overly controversial or intentionally trying to gather some publicity by what it pulls and the "mature" label isn't an excuse to be drawn out graphic sex scenes in it like other games that may or may not be The Witcher 2. It's "mature" in a Mass Effect way. It has flawed characters and it explores a lot of controversial topics and themes.
First thing I'll mention is that it actually has like 5 endings, which is something that should pique the interest of all those "I HATE COD CUZ SINGLE PLAYER ON IT SUX" people. While yeah, it is only a 5-ish hour single player with little point in replaying outside of your standard collectibles and difficulty options, it presents a great story that compliments the 5 hours. Anything longer would feel too drawn out here and would be repeating the motions honestly. So while it being short may be a flaw for the game, it's a compliment for the story.
It also does a lot of great things here. It does give you choice in moral decisions. I'll say that these really have no relevance on the plot as the endings are all up to your choice at the end and not the sum of your choices throughout the game but it works here for a reason. The choices aren't meant to change up how the game develops, but more so weigh on the player. The game does blur between you and the main character and taps on the fourth wall now and then to show just how much of what happens is the game is caused by you and the character. Even the loading screens will remind you that the game is YOUR fault.
So yes, it's a sad game, there's no bright ending here, but it's deep, it's dark, and it's gritty. Not in the "it tries too hard" sense, but more that it just needs to be that way for the subject material.
The downside I guess is that, game wise, it is a rather generic TPS. You crouch behind chesthigh walls while samey bad guys shoot and you and you peek and shoot. There's some minor aspects like sand, which becomes pretty prominent. You can shoot glass behind an enemy for example to have the sand behind it pour out and knock them out. There will also be sandstorms at certain parts that make the game a bit more run and gunny. You also get two teammates to sic on select bad guys but it's still very generic.
But gameplay is hardly everything in a game and I suggest playing the game for a fantastic story. Maybe wait for a cheaper price point of like $20 or so.
