Post by Bytor on Jun 24, 2009 9:36:54 GMT -5
-Visuals- 9/10
Overall Insomniac has created a very good visual feast. The frame rate is excellent and the total ambiance is awesome. The game has a feel as if it were filmed in sepia tones, giving everything a stark look while portraying vividly the demolition that the Chimera have inflicted upon England. The Chimera themselves are rendered very nice although like many games the closer you get the less definition there is, but overall it's not an issue. The backgrounds are it's strong point, the mix of the Chimera technology with destroyed England cities is the games strong point.
-Sound- 8/10
Don't expect mind sweeping musical compositions here, because basically they don't exist, however, the sound from the weapons/battles and attacking Chimera more than make up for it. If you have your surround sound on you will be convinced you are in the middle of the battles. The voice overs are also excellent, especially in the cut scenes, although I did find the balance between the weapons and the talking to be a noticeable distraction (I had to keep adjusting my volume).
-Gameplay- 9.5/10
And here is one of the games strongest points, the different weapons make for some very, very interesting and enjoyable fights (my only issue was running out of ammo, and I'm not a very good shot, so probably my fault most of the time). One of the things I loved was that you could use pretty much any weapon to defeat the Chimera, the enemy AI was not insistent that you use this gun or that gun in order to destroy them, this allows you to decide how you want to fight the battles. The boss battles are excellent as well, challenging while not being so over the top that you feel frustrated and hopeless. For some fun save the game at various points and fight using different weapons, gives the game a whole new look..plus, there are some new weapons which are unlocked after you complete the game the first play through.
-Story- 9.5/10
Without giving away anything simply let me say that the storyline kept me hooked from the beginning to the end, The story is set in a fictional 1951 where a species called The Chimera has taken over all of Russia and Europe and is sweeping through England. The US has closed it's borders but does send some troops to help. The storyline follows one soldier, Sgt. Nathan Hale, in his struggles to survive. You will quickly find yourself immersed in Nathan Hale's story and I for one couldn't wait to find out exactly what his story was and what happened to him (the story is told from a historical viewpoint). I was actually sorry the story was over, Insomniac, make a movie! I'll be there!
-Overall- 9.3/10
Now here's my slight complaint. I would have given the game a slightly higher rating except for one thing...it simply didn't last long enough. You could finish the game easily in 15 hours or so, and I admit, I'm spoiled by some of the Japanese RPG's where it takes that long to actually get into the game. Still, I feel confidant that if you are into Sci-Fi at all or like first person shooter games this one will quickly become one of your favorites, the battles are wonderful, the ambiance is second to none and the voice over acting is good enough that you actually care about what is going on. And then there is the multi-player aspect...and to be honest I seldom play multi-player, but from what I have read and heard the game is awesome allowing up to 40 players the ability to play as human or Chimera and many different battle scenarios. I'd say over all one of the best titles to come out for the PS3!