S.T.A.L.K.E.R has gone gold

[MaverikV]

There are annoying parts but I'm not gonna lie, I'm looking forward to playing ti when I get home today

 

[apoppin]

Originally posted by: pontifex
i dunno, i might still pick it up. i'm going to wal-mart today during lunch so if they have it, i'll buy it.

STALKER 'reminds" me of the original complaints people had about FarCry ... and it turned out pretty good after a few patches

i am still gonna *wait* - i am working on a trade-deal with it after a friend is done with it

you need a really nice rig to run it well

 

[Mem]

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: pontifex
i dunno, i might still pick it up. i'm going to wal-mart today during lunch so if they have it, i'll buy it.

STALKER 'reminds" me of the original complaints people had about FarCry ... and it turned out pretty good after a few patches

i am still gonna *wait* - i am working on a trade-deal with it after a friend is done with it

you need a really nice rig to run it well

Think I'll wait a few months too,at least until the new AMD/Nvidia cards are released.

 

[Malladine]

I've read some nice comments on it at the arstech forum...still gonna wait but i'll keep an eye on it at least.

 

[Conky]

This game is actually pretty cool. This is perhaps the only forum on the net that thinks otherwise. Maybe you guys need to go back to playing WOW or whatever game it is you non-shooter people play.

My mini-review:
The best part about this game is the atmosphere.. very immersive and real feeling. There are odd RPG mission things to do which make it unlike most FPS games but not entirely fruity like most RPG games.

The AI is sort of hit or miss... sometimes the enemy is brutal with it's tactics flanking you and sneaking up from behind... other times it can be a bit retarded and a bad guy will just stand there for a minute before realizing that he is supposed to kill you. If this was supposed to be realistic then it just plain missed the mark but overall the AI is better and more lethal than any other shooter I can think of right now.

The worst thing is having to manage the inventory but I guess this is where that RPG stuff comes in. :roll: If you collect too much gear it will weigh you down and you will have to drop some stuff... pray this doesn't happen during a combat moment or you will have to reload your game. Which brings me to another small gripe... there is no quicksave key... you have to save by escaping and hitting save. And you will want to save often because you will die often even if you are a good player, lol.

I think this is going to be a popular game although, like many games, I think it could probably use a little patchin at some point although I've come across no show-stopper bugs yet.

Anyway, I just got this game and I can't stop playing it.

 

[Jules]

Originally posted by: Mem

Originally posted by: apoppin

Originally posted by: pontifex
i dunno, i might still pick it up. i'm going to wal-mart today during lunch so if they have it, i'll buy it.

STALKER 'reminds" me of the original complaints people had about FarCry ... and it turned out pretty good after a few patches

i am still gonna *wait* - i am working on a trade-deal with it after a friend is done with it

you need a really nice rig to run it well

Think I'll wait a few months too,at least until the new AMD/Nvidia cards are released.

You do that. lmao.

 

[Reckoner]

The user reviews at Gamespot are pretty high.

I think you guys are just being too picky

 

[Jules]

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
The user reviews at Gamespot are pretty high.

I think you guys are just being too picky

Go ahead and play it

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: Conky

The best part about this game is the atmosphere.. very immersive and real feeling. There are odd RPG mission things to do which make it unlike most FPS games but not entirely fruity like most RPG games.

I thought the first thing when I began playing. It does certainly feel like a wasteland, it is quite well done. Stuff like the random dude playing the guitar, or the loudspeaker of the enemy base in the distance really add a lot to it. But like FEAR, after a few hours into it, the same old environment of wasteland and demolished buildings just becomes tiring.

Oblivion did open endedness right. Each town had its own personality, and there were various factions to align with, along with endearing characters that just wrapped you into the game. I played it for 120 something hours, and was never bored, nor did I finish everything I wanted to. The "side quests" mattered, there was always a meaningful reward, not to mention a furthering of a side story.

Stalker's side quests involve helping random people kill random people for money that you don't need because you can pawn off randomly placed artifacts for vast amounts of money that you'll never really use because there isn't much to buy.

Sure, you'll see strange things as you walk across, boars chasing dogs etc...such things certainly add to the game, but without solid core gameplay, it's just dressing up a turd.

The AI is sort of hit or miss... sometimes the enemy is brutal with it's tactics flanking you and sneaking up from behind... other times it can be a bit retarded and a bad guy will just stand there for a minute before realizing that he is supposed to kill you. If this was supposed to be realistic then it just plain missed the mark but overall the AI is better and more lethal than any other shooter I can think of right now.

It doesnt take good AI to be lethal - it takes abusive game mechanics. The soldiers in HL2 or FEAR felt far more lethal and deadly. If you didnt have the power of slo mo, the fear/HL troops would have wasted you in a second. Not because they were unfair, but because they were smart, and worked together.

Truly realistic AI wouldnt step out of a doorway into your waiting guns...it would end up in a standoff. And as realistic as that might be, it certainly isnt any fun when it happens. I've also been quite intelligently flanked by troops in stalker, but such acts are inconsequential because I never stood a chance in the first place without the power of the almighty quicksave. Being outwitted is only significant if your wits had anything to do with it in the first place.

There's good difficulty and bad difficulty. Good difficulty is when you know you stand a chance regardless of how well armed you or they are, it is just going to come down to your quick thinking, reflexes, and tactics. Examples being HL, COD. Bad difficulty is having to "break" the game by studying the enemies placement and traps via quickloading, and praying for lucky shots, because the tables are stacked massively against you - you can't see them, they pop out of nowhere etc. Ambushes might be realistic but they don't make a fun game. Ie. Stalker, Doom 3.

The worst thing is having to manage the inventory but I guess this is where that RPG stuff comes in. :roll: If you collect too much gear it will weigh you down and you will have to drop some stuff... pray this doesn't happen during a combat moment or you will have to reload your game. Which brings me to another small gripe... there is no quicksave key... you have to save by escaping and hitting save. And you will want to save often because you will die often even if you are a good player, lol.

F6 and F7. Its undocumented, but its there. I think the game may have been far more enjoyable without the excessive "RPG" elements. They feel tacked on and unimportant. You have to eat...why? Because you'll be hungry without it, and what is hunger? An icon on your screen to be removed. It has no real meaning. In any other game, you can easily step on an enemy and collect whatever he was holding - ammo, guns etc. Stalker forces you to search his body, collect his ammo, food, gun (which needs to be manually unloaded of its ammo), etc - it's a LOT of clicking, double clicking, actually, for no good reason.

I think this is going to be a popular game although, like many games, I think it could probably use a little patchin at some point although I've come across no show-stopper bugs yet.

Anyway, I just got this game and I can't stop playing it.

Who knows, you could be right - maybe it's just me. I just don't feel connected with the game. It feels like work. The game has been in development for so long that the devs must have compiled a laundry list of features to add based upon games that beat them to the punch, without really thinking about *why*, and how it fits together with everything else. Which is IMO, the most important factor in a game.

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
The user reviews at Gamespot are pretty high.

I think you guys are just being too picky

There are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of games out there for various systems. Just because this one is new doesnt make it worth playing over a spectacular game that you may have missed a while ago. You would be far better of spending your money on an oldie but goodie and waiting for this game to hit the bargain bin. I think after the dust has settled and another game comes out that does the open ended FPS right, stalker will be remembered as the game that tried and failed in comparison.

 

[Conky]

Originally posted by: BD2003

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
The user reviews at Gamespot are pretty high.

I think you guys are just being too picky

There are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of games out there for various systems. Just because this one is new doesnt make it worth playing over a spectacular game that you may have missed a while ago. You would be far better of spending your money on an oldie but goodie and waiting for this game to hit the bargain bin. I think after the dust has settled and another game comes out that does the open ended FPS right, stalker will be remembered as the game that tried and failed in comparison.

I think it's a tad early to proclaim that this game has failed.

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: Conky

Originally posted by: BD2003

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
The user reviews at Gamespot are pretty high.

I think you guys are just being too picky

There are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of games out there for various systems. Just because this one is new doesnt make it worth playing over a spectacular game that you may have missed a while ago. You would be far better of spending your money on an oldie but goodie and waiting for this game to hit the bargain bin. I think after the dust has settled and another game comes out that does the open ended FPS right, stalker will be remembered as the game that tried and failed in comparison.

I think it's a tad early to proclaim that this game has failed.

Like I said, just my personal opinion. It has only currently succeeded in making an open ended FPS because there is no other one out there like it to compare it to. It kind reminds me of trespasser - it sure was original, but that didnt make it good.

Stalker is kind of like drinking a blueberry carne asada steak white chocolate milkshake. All delicious things by themselves, but barfworthy when mashed together mindlessly.

 

[MaverikV]

Originally posted by: BD2003

Originally posted by: Conky

Originally posted by: BD2003

Originally posted by: PaulNEPats
The user reviews at Gamespot are pretty high.

I think you guys are just being too picky

There are thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of games out there for various systems. Just because this one is new doesnt make it worth playing over a spectacular game that you may have missed a while ago. You would be far better of spending your money on an oldie but goodie and waiting for this game to hit the bargain bin. I think after the dust has settled and another game comes out that does the open ended FPS right, stalker will be remembered as the game that tried and failed in comparison.

I think it's a tad early to proclaim that this game has failed.

Like I said, just my personal opinion. It has only currently succeeded in making an open ended FPS because there is no other one out there like it to compare it to. It kind reminds me of trespasser - it sure was original, but that didnt make it good.

Stalker is kind of like drinking a blueberry carne asada steak white chocolate milkshake. All delicious things by themselves, but barfworthy when mashed together mindlessly.

Or at all

 

[QueBert]

I tried to play Oblivion, I dug the graphics, and enjoyed parts of it, but my problem with it, and I guess with any game that's very open ended. There's this serious plague of Oblivion Gates, they are out to destroy all human kind. And while I wasn't forced to do some of the side missions, why would you be killing wolves that are attacking some crazy chicks rats while certain doom is looming? Seemed like some of the side quests were really lame, especially when you factor in the urgency with saving Kavatch(sp?) and protecting an entire race of people.

I guess without the side quests it would be a short game, but I would have had more fun.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: BD2003

Oblivion did open endedness right. Each town had its own personality, and there were various factions to align with, along with endearing characters that just wrapped you into the game. I played it for 120 something hours, and was never bored, nor did I finish everything I wanted to. The "side quests" mattered, there was always a meaningful reward, not to mention a furthering of a side story.

We must have played different versions of Oblivion. The NPCs didn't seem to have that much personality. All the towns were basically the same.

I played Oblivion for about 2 weeks before it bored me to death. Copmbat got boring, traveling got boring. The story was very lacking imo. I'm not sure how the side quests "mattered". They added nothing to the game.



oh, and wal-mart didn't have stalker, btw.

 

[marmasatt]

Alright. I just took the plunge. I'm gonna be off work for a few weeks and couldn't resist. Maybe they'll patch it soon . I'l chime in after a few hours in.

 

[pontifex]

weird, Stalker isn't listed on Wal-Mart's site anymore. looks like i won't be getting it until the weekend now...:|

 

[SexyK]

Originally posted by: QueBert
I tried to play Oblivion, I dug the graphics, and enjoyed parts of it, but my problem with it, and I guess with any game that's very open ended. There's this serious plague of Oblivion Gates, they are out to destroy all human kind. And while I wasn't forced to do some of the side missions, why would you be killing wolves that are attacking some crazy chicks rats while certain doom is looming? Seemed like some of the side quests were really lame, especially when you factor in the urgency with saving Kavatch(sp?) and protecting an entire race of people.

I guess without the side quests it would be a short game, but I would have had more fun.

The good thing about Oblivion was that if you felt that the gates needed to be closed urgently and that the side quests were meaningless with certain doom looming, you could complete the main quest first then go back and explore all the side quests. With something so open-ended, you can make it whatever you want.

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: BD2003

Oblivion did open endedness right. Each town had its own personality, and there were various factions to align with, along with endearing characters that just wrapped you into the game. I played it for 120 something hours, and was never bored, nor did I finish everything I wanted to. The "side quests" mattered, there was always a meaningful reward, not to mention a furthering of a side story.

We must have played different versions of Oblivion. The NPCs didn't seem to have that much personality. All the towns were basically the same.

I played Oblivion for about 2 weeks before it bored me to death. Copmbat got boring, traveling got boring. The story was very lacking imo. I'm not sure how the side quests "mattered". They added nothing to the game.

oh, and wal-mart didn't have stalker, btw.

Well, there were "side quests", and "side side quests". The random side quests such as helping the dudes kill goblins in their farm were pretty bleh, but the faction side quests were a completely different story. The dark brotherhood line was really fun - you'd end up murdering people in the most fun and creative ways - unscrewing mantles above where they usually sit, leaving poisoned apples, and my personal favorite, the contract where there was a house full of people who were told there was gold hidden somewhere, and they were locked in until someone found it. You had to manipulate them into isolation. Ex. you trick one of the elves into thinking one of the females there liked him, and told him that you spoke to her and she'd be waiting for him in a room upstairs...then you'd kill him, and everyone in the house would start pointing the finger at everyone else, and killing each other for you...it was brilliant.

That whole part of the game was a side storyline full of twists and turns, and even though it was fun in and of itself, when you became the head of the dark brotherhood, you got some pretty killer assassin gear and a sweet black horse. It was stuff like that which made it so fun to play, and the "side quests" in stalker aren't even in the same ballpark. Its just kill this guy, kill that guy, heres some money or a useless artifct, all from people who look and sound completely alike, if they sound at all.

I took my time with the main quests because the dark brotherhood and thieves guild side storylines were too much fun. I just don't know how you could have said it was boring...there was so much diversity that there was always something fun to do, travel wasnt an issue, and the enemies were always appropriate to your level. Join the arena, go spelunking, steal, murder, close gates, fight for justice, and so on and so on.

 

[Zenoth]

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: Zenoth
Some game-play videos from me.

#1

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KV3MNV9W

Shows some A-Life (wildlife) and a few neutral Stalkers, nothing special, just a humble and calm video.

#2

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X8F1J4XL

Another small game-play footage I recorded while playing just moments ago. I died during the footage hehe, I never saw where the shot came from.

#3

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X8F1J4XL

From there something went terribly wrong after that (after video #2). The game started to slow down a little (it was after the footage, Fraps wasn't recording anything) after I loaded up the game again (since I died). It was just two or three minutes before the footage, so I went back to that outpost and finished the enemies I could without dying. I took some items silently, and fled back to the small Duty outpost (I'm starting to work for them in my game, the Freedom guys are enemies to me now, firing on sight).

So, from there once I returned I started to record new footage, because I wanted to explore the surrounding areas, which I never explored before. Nothing much goes on, in fact, nothing happens expect at the end.

And that's where the troubled moment is recorded.

Remember I said the game started to slow down and act strangely ? Well, it might have been something about the A.I, or perhaps even the whole area itself it troubled (there was a quest there earlier and it was a mess to finish, due to unscripted A.I behaviors, killing important characters for example, I had to start it again not one, not two but three times to get it done properly).

At the end of the video I attempt to surprise a nearby enemy camp. Three guys from the Freedom faction are there probably talking around a camp fire. I spotted them with my Binoculars, and then tried to find a good attack angle to surprise them. I wanted to throw a Grenade at them just for the kicks of setting them in combat stance.

Well guess what happened ? You'll see in the video ...

It was a major bug, to say the least, A.I-related, but quite major. I saw NPCs running against walls already, I saw some of them pointing their guns to a wall and fire at it for no apparent reasons, I saw many so-so bugs, things that you can live with.

But THAT was totally unexpected. It's surely one of those things that GSC GameWorld must have been frustrated about during the development process. They must have yelled at such situations. Because quite frankly they have to know about it. If they don't, then I don't know where they've been and/or what they've done during the past 6 years or so.

Here's the video showing the major A.I bug at the end. Enjoy ! Or .... rather get disappointed ! (you choose)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HKSIXK2C

Notes: The videos are compressed with H.264. Most of you might need specific video codecs to display the videos properly in your media player(s). I myself am using some codecs from K-Lite Mega Codec Pack, and it does the job well. Others are using the CCCP (Combined Community Codec Pack), which should also work well. If the video is in fact only playing sounds with a black screen then it might be because you need new codecs. You might also want to give a try to VLC Meida Player if all else fails, to get it go to www.videolan.org

So, enjoy ! Or rather get disappointed ! (you choose)

can that site be any harder to figure out how to watch the videos? as far as i can tell, i need to download their toolbar to watch anything? either that or your links don't work right.

I said it so many times and I'll say it again here.

MegaUpload is no one's enemy. It never asked me for anything. You guys are using the same browser than me ? Firefox ? I haven't tried with IE nor Opera, maybe that's why. But here is how it works with MU in Firefox: You click on the link (duh !), then it asks you to type in the blank space the required identification letters to start up the download. Once you type them in you then click on "Download". Then a minute-long countdown will start before the download starts. Then once the countdown is done voila ! Suddenly your download is ready and might even automatically start ! Isn't it unbelievable ?

I keep hosting my files there because I never had troubles there myself and they never forced me nor even asked me to download or install anything from them before download any types of files. Some of you will need to check your proxies or cookies or I don't know what. Quite frankly I don't know why some people here are getting all sorts of demands from that site.

 

[torpid]

Just for reference, BD2k3, I take it you did not like FEAR? I thought it was very weak. Even though it was only 11 hours or so, maybe less, it felt like 100 hours because someone thought it was ok to design an office complex with elevators in random places that only go up one flight and staircases that do the same.

 

[pontifex]

Originally posted by: Zenoth

Originally posted by: pontifex

Originally posted by: Zenoth
Some game-play videos from me.

#1

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KV3MNV9W

Shows some A-Life (wildlife) and a few neutral Stalkers, nothing special, just a humble and calm video.

#2

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X8F1J4XL

Another small game-play footage I recorded while playing just moments ago. I died during the footage hehe, I never saw where the shot came from.

#3

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=X8F1J4XL

From there something went terribly wrong after that (after video #2). The game started to slow down a little (it was after the footage, Fraps wasn't recording anything) after I loaded up the game again (since I died). It was just two or three minutes before the footage, so I went back to that outpost and finished the enemies I could without dying. I took some items silently, and fled back to the small Duty outpost (I'm starting to work for them in my game, the Freedom guys are enemies to me now, firing on sight).

So, from there once I returned I started to record new footage, because I wanted to explore the surrounding areas, which I never explored before. Nothing much goes on, in fact, nothing happens expect at the end.

And that's where the troubled moment is recorded.

Remember I said the game started to slow down and act strangely ? Well, it might have been something about the A.I, or perhaps even the whole area itself it troubled (there was a quest there earlier and it was a mess to finish, due to unscripted A.I behaviors, killing important characters for example, I had to start it again not one, not two but three times to get it done properly).

At the end of the video I attempt to surprise a nearby enemy camp. Three guys from the Freedom faction are there probably talking around a camp fire. I spotted them with my Binoculars, and then tried to find a good attack angle to surprise them. I wanted to throw a Grenade at them just for the kicks of setting them in combat stance.

Well guess what happened ? You'll see in the video ...

It was a major bug, to say the least, A.I-related, but quite major. I saw NPCs running against walls already, I saw some of them pointing their guns to a wall and fire at it for no apparent reasons, I saw many so-so bugs, things that you can live with.

But THAT was totally unexpected. It's surely one of those things that GSC GameWorld must have been frustrated about during the development process. They must have yelled at such situations. Because quite frankly they have to know about it. If they don't, then I don't know where they've been and/or what they've done during the past 6 years or so.

Here's the video showing the major A.I bug at the end. Enjoy ! Or .... rather get disappointed ! (you choose)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HKSIXK2C

Notes: The videos are compressed with H.264. Most of you might need specific video codecs to display the videos properly in your media player(s). I myself am using some codecs from K-Lite Mega Codec Pack, and it does the job well. Others are using the CCCP (Combined Community Codec Pack), which should also work well. If the video is in fact only playing sounds with a black screen then it might be because you need new codecs. You might also want to give a try to VLC Meida Player if all else fails, to get it go to www.videolan.org

So, enjoy ! Or rather get disappointed ! (you choose)

can that site be any harder to figure out how to watch the videos? as far as i can tell, i need to download their toolbar to watch anything? either that or your links don't work right.

I said it so many times and I'll say it again here.

MegaUpload is no one's enemy. It never asked me for anything. You guys are using the same browser than me ? Firefox ? I haven't tried with IE nor Opera, maybe that's why. But here is how it works with MU in Firefox: You click on the link (duh !), then it asks you to type in the blank space the required identification letters to start up the download. Once you type them in you then click on "Download". Then a minute-long countdown will start before the download starts. Then once the countdown is done voila ! Suddenly your download is ready and might even automatically start ! Isn't it unbelievable ?

I keep hosting my files there because I never had troubles there myself and they never forced me nor even asked me to download or install anything from them before download any types of files. Some of you will need to check your proxies or cookies or I don't know what. Quite frankly I don't know why some people here are getting all sorts of demands from that site.

now i see it. its this tiny space about an inch down from the top center of the page.
i mean come on. there are ads all over the goddamn site and only a very small space for you to see what you're supposed to do.

worst damn site design ever. why not just use youtube or google video?
then we don't have to wait for 1 minute or look at pop up ads or anything other than the video

 

[BD2003]

Originally posted by: torpid
Just for reference, BD2k3, I take it you did not like FEAR? I thought it was very weak. Even though it was only 11 hours or so, maybe less, it felt like 100 hours because someone thought it was ok to design an office complex with elevators in random places that only go up one flight and staircases that do the same.

I thought FEAR was alright, but would have been better as it was if it was half the length. The storyline didnt do anything for me, because the whole voicemail way of telling it wasn't very compelling.

It was just too repetitive...pretty much every environment looked the same, and after the first few hours you had gotten the point and just wanted it to change already, or end. You're fighting the same troops using the same tactics the entire time.

I also thought that while the slomo was cool, it was also damaging to the gameplay. The enemies were so smart and well equipped that you really didnt stand a chance without the slomo, but with slomo, THEY didnt stand a chance, so it was really unbalanced. Rather than having slomo be a useful once in a while ability to take down a whole room, which would have made it special and cool, you were able or forced to rely upon it in nearly every situation, and it just wasnt as fun taking down two soldiers in a office building the 500th time, before listening in on the 50th voicemail.

I remember playing it at E3 in 05 and chatting with the devs, and I was really psyched about it because it really stood out amongst most of the other games on the floor, and they really seemed like they understood how important the connection between the game and player was. That part of the game was definitely spot on. But all we got is a little slice to play, but if I had known the final release would have been the 10 minutes I played 50 times over, I would have begged and pleaded with them to change it.

 

[xSkyDrAx]

Well I just picked up stalker today and got through about an hour of playing and messing around. Honestly I don't think it's as bad as some of you make it out to be. First of all it runs smooth as butter on my system with everything turned up (in the game at least) at 1650x1080. I was playing on stalker difficulty and I got through the first mission where you save that guy and I thought it was relatively easy. Most of the enemies were focused on shooting my teammates that I just sneaked right up to them and shot them in the head. I agree that the aiming is a bit difficult but for the most part it makes it more challenging/fun/satisfying when you kill someone in a few shots if not one. Then I thought I was going to be clever and lure the 3 enemy stalkers on the road back to my camp so my guys can kill them and I can take their AK's. Well for the most part the plan worked. I got my AK's but after that I realized they also killed all the guys in the camp including wolf. I don't know how big of a main character he is but I think it would be better to have him alive. Not only that but I guess killing those 3 guys provoked the enemy to send some more computers at me and then I was screwed. So far I love it It's going to be fun alternating this with oblivion.

 

[NamelessMC]

I played Beta Single Player, and when I told people how crappy this game was, I was super flamed for it.

I mean the graphics look just like what people said, "2 years ago they would've been great."

I don't think people understand that a patch can't fix this game. This game has SO MANY bugs and in-game issues. Inventory screen being live in-game, enemy AI having like bulletproof skin and a head about 1" big that takes two shots to kill. The weapons are grossly inaccurate. In CS, you could adjust your shot aim for recoil. In Stalker, you literally just shoot inaccurately. It's like in Deus Ex where your aim sucked horribly because you had to level up and put points in aim, but in this game you don't level up, your aim just ALWAYS sucks.

As someone noted too, it's a huge quick save run through. You hit a room, get murdered, try to remember where all the enemies are so you can try a turn/head shot technique on your next load. The game's story is also ridiculously hard to follow. You find yourself saying, "Well am I going the right way?" In other games that are open ended, when you found enemies, if they were story enemies, you knew you were going the right way. In this game, people are trying to kill you everywhere, so for all you know you could be going the wrong way.

To put it simply, unless you're a god of stupid Aim mode and a pro FPS gamer, you'll need cheats to beat this game, and a FAQ as long as Moby Dick.

It's easy to give this game a good review based on the first 45 minutes you play it, and I think that's what most game review sites do. They play it for 45 minutes on a godly powerful computer rig (QX6800, 8800GTX SLI) and think "Hey it's great, give it an editor's choice". It doesn't help that THQ put money in their pockets either. Once you get an hour or two into it, you start to think, "Oh Jesus, I know where this is going". Then you're three or four hours into it and you think, "Son of a---"