This game is not what you might think - a sneaky "special forces take out a few terrorists" kind of romp. In the single player mode this is a fully fledged WAR pitting you and two AI team mates against literally hundreds of seemingly highly motivated opponents.
On the whole, this game gets rave reviews and it was on the strength of that plus some exotic screenshots that I bought it. On balance I'm glad I did, and I have spent (far too) many hours blasting the enemy. Unlike some shooters, the enemy in this one are very active and are always on your case, so chances to snipe them are fairly limited because as soon as you have them in your sights they can see you and will open fire. Also, take the boasts on the box with a pinch of salt... the ability to - "manoeuvre though multiple-path Vegas environments" is fairly short lived as you still end up at the same spot after a short distance. Also the "mastering techniques such as fast-roping, rappelling, window entry, etc." usually just involves pressing the 'A' key when the on-screen prompt appears, there's little finesse involved.
Pros
- Nice graphics, although a lot of the action takes place out of the great Vegas vista (e.g. in Mexico or inside buildings).
- Interesting choice of weaponry. No 'BFGs' here, just your regular military issue gear.
- Sensible ammo limits. If you have an itchy trigger finger then you'll soon be spent, leaving you to pick up weapons from fallen opponents or search endlessly for the next equipment box. Unlike some games you won't find boxes of bullets on every turn, so running out of ammo usually means you'll die fairly soon unless your AI mates can do the business.
- You can 'use' your AI team mates effectively to clear a small area and blast down doors, although be careful... (see Cons).
- Satisfying groans when you lob an incendiary grenade into the midst of your enemy (be careful though, they'll still fire back at you even when their eyes are streaming).
- Colourful language like "Would you like me to run into the bullets" when you are obviously wide of the mark. Yes there is some swearing but that's not going to worry you or your kids alongside the gratuitous killing that's going on!
Cons
- No option to save a game in progress, you have to wait until you either reach a checkpoint or the game itself decides to do a 'saving progress'. As a result you can spend half an hour carefully clearing a street of enemies, only to find you get sent right back to the start when you get killed. Also, when you 'Resume last checkpoint' you can lose saved progress. I quit for the day after one point where it said it saved my progress, only to find I had to start the whole stage again when I came back.
- Sometimes it's way too easy to die. From cover I unloaded eight or nine rounds into an opponent across a room, only to find he takes me out with a single shot. Or a grenade lands at your feet out of nowhere. Also, be careful about lobbing grenades - they can bounce back at you off plants or even empty space!
- Your AI team mates can sometimes be incredibly dumb, and if they die, you die.
- Glitches. Several times an opponent simply vanishes, only to reappear nearby whereupon you're shot dead.
- Lack of interaction with the environment. For the most part the scenery is just that... scenery. There are certain things you can shoot, like slot machines, light fittings & TV screens which is always fun.
- Unpredictable movement control. Sometimes your character can climb over a low wall, other times he can't even step over a small pile of rubbish. or a plank.
