A great PS3 FPS that hooked and immersed me.
From the get go I was having trouble aiming at Higs to shoot. I would always over aim or under aim. There is a bit of a delay from your input on the controller to when your aiming reticule actually moves. I mean we're talking milliseconds here, not just a huge gap or anything, but enough that it can really knock off your aiming skills. But I toughed through it, eventually you get used to it. The developers said this was so, to add "weight" to the guns that you use. w/e Once you do get used to the aiming the shooting is done very nice. It just felt good unloading my M16ish rifle into a Hig. Heck, using one of their full auto weapons sometimes felt better, even more useful at times. Picking the right weapon is important because not all weapons have a plethora of ammo available for them, and aside from your side arm (which is a freaking handcannon!) you can only tote around one weapon at a time. This adds a little tactical thinking on your part into how to approach a fire fight.
The graphics, even a couple years after the game has been out (yeah, sorry I'm late to the game here. I just missed my opportunity to play it when it was brand spanking new), the graphics are still stunning. Some textures appear a little low res and what not. But, the overall visual presentation of the game is stunning. It looks close to what the tech demo boasted, but not exactly. Some parts of the game do look spot on to what the tech demo had going on. One of the parts I thought was just so cool in the tech demo was when the character shot one of the Higs, and upon taking several bullets the Hig toppled over the railing on the bridge he was on, and got his arm stuck in the railing and hung there crying out in pain as though his arm had gotten broke as well as being pumped with lead. This unscripted behavior was just awesome to me. And it ACTUALLY happens in the game randomly. I just thought it was a very nice touch that helped immerse me into the games world.
The story in the game is... there. I mean it's pretty much a typical aliens vs. humans ordeal. Except the aliens are a lot like humans. Except tougher, meaner, and nazi-ish. (I don't consider nazis human, and I refuse to capitalize their name. Same rules apply for satan in my book... anyway back to the review...) And there is no communication barrier between the aliens and the humans. But there is a sense of urgency the game has about it's story that makes you want to push through from beginning to end.
The game's difficulty for the most part feels just right. High risk equals high rewards. Don't be stupid and you usually wont die. Example: Don't run into a small room packed with 4 or 5 Higs in it. Cause, you mo die. Instead bake yourself up a nice grenade and toss it on up in there. Instawin. The AI is actually very smart, and they know that they are tougher than you. Get close to one of them that is in cover and he's going to get up and try to slam you in the face with the broadside of his gun. Tossing a grenade into a crowd without cooking it first, usually yields no reward. The Helghast will never just stand plainly and shoot at you. They are constantly on the move and will actively flank you if you place yourself in such a position. This good AI also makes the game very rewarding when you finish a good long fire fight, especially when you do it with out dying once. The games difficulty does ramp up on the last couple of stages. You're literally pitted against an army of Higs as you battle your way up to the final show down. That one section took a hot minute and only has one check point. So don't take unnecessary risks unless you love getting frustrated. And the final showdown is long, memorable, and rough. It's good that some games still have real final boss fights that actually challenge you. Though I will say here it's really the shooting leading to the actual boss encounter that is the challenging part. Only a couple of check points and limited places to take cover here folks. So bring your A game. I don't want to think about these last couple sections on the hardest difficulty. Having said all that about how awesome the enemies AI is, unfortunately your teammates suffer from time to time. You might find yourself asking "Why would that guy rush 7 Higs with his revolver?" or "Why did he reload in a Higs face instead beating him to death with his gun?" or "Why would you two play ring around the rosey when there is a small battalion of Higs right in front of you?" I don't know why these AI hick ups exist but sometimes it gets annoying.
All in all this game was great, there were a few parts that got a little frustrating and I may or may not have wanted to break my controller in my anger. But I just took a chill pill and kept going. I had a lot of fun with this game, and if your looking for a great FPS on PS3 this is a good one. And it's a bargain bin title these days.
This game wins! @8.5/10