The first thing that struck me, as is often the case with video games in general these days, were the graphics - this game really does looks sweet! The id Tech 5 engine certainly holds its own against any of the engines I've seen running on a console this generation with nary any sign of visible tearing or clipping whilst running (on the 360 at least) at a reasonably solid 60fps. It's clear that id spent considerable time creating characters and environments that are amongst the most detailed I've seen to date, with everything given a distinct, individualistic look.
The thin plot can feel a little slight at times but never to the point where I got bored with it during play. Part of this was due to the above par voice work that accompanies the various characters the player encounters. This, coupled with great character animation, help carry a convincing sense of place when wandering around the various settlements.
As for the gameplay, I appreciated the freeform approach to allow the player to tackle the many combat situations from different angles with the varied assortment of weaponry at their disposal. That said, it could still have easily become quite repetitious due to the volume of combat during the game had it not been for the impressive enemy AI that helped bring an organic feel to each of the many combat situations (the enemy voice work during combat is one of many favourite things about this game). The vehicle were not as painful as I was expecting with them actually becoming enjoyable once I had upgraded the weapons sufficiently.
The only fly in the ointment really came in the form of the final section which was a let down on almost every level when compared to the rest of the game. They had spent the final third of the game setting up who the villain is, only for it to be a massive letdown in that, whilst there is a conclusion, it actually ends up adding an air of unnecessary confusion to those final moments. I'm unsure as to why they chose to end the game the way they did but from the outside looking in it's almost impossible not to believe that there was a sizeable chunk of game was cut out from the end, whether due to either budgetary or release date constraints? To date there has been no official word as to whether either was the case or not but it sure as hell feels that there's something missing, which is a crying shame really because the rest of the game is pretty darn good. I feel there is still a ton of potential for a sequel as they have created quite an immersive and noteworthy world to play about in, only I'd prefer it if they don't take another five years to get around to it.
Anyway, when all said and done, I would still recommend playing this game to anyone who hasn't as there is definitely plenty of impressive stuff to see and do despite the ending being shite.
Curious to know what those of you who have played through it thought of the game?
