Tharrens

After the "meh" multiplayer beta, I wasn't expecting that much level of fun. Tu put it bluntly, it's probably the best FPS we got in ages (which maybe doesn't mean much considering what was released these last few years, but still). Guns are orgasmics, maps are a decently good blend between open space, multiple path and a bit of linearity. It's not hard, but more challenging that what I expected, just enough to keep you on the move and on your toes. It's fast and good with tons of good idea.

Remind me why we should hate this game again? Because of lame story or writing? Here's the thing: Not every games have to be at a Planescape Torment or The Witcher level of writing quality. There's some game that heavily rely on atmosphere, storytelling and good writing to set up the mood. For some game, the story or characters can actually make or break the game, but here, come on! It's a action-packed, adrenaline driven, silly twin stick shooter? It doesn't pretend to be a cRPG with great narrative or anything, it's just a top down shooter, and at that, it's pretty good. So sure, jokes are hit and miss. Sometime it will grab you a smile, sometime it will feel a bit cringy. Sure, the whole scenario could pretty much be written on a post-it note and sure, Shelly sometime feel like a cliché character, a bit like Duke, but without the clever satire. But who care? It let you turn alien to bloody gibs with satisfying weapons in various environment with fast-paced action. It got some rpg gimmick, some extra-story arena challenge, it's chock-full of references, ranging from Duke Nukem to Iron Maiden and the smooth gameplay seal the deal. What's not to like about it? In short: The plus or okay: - Gameplay is smooth and satisfying - Graphics are ok. Nothing great or jawdropping but by all mean, it isn't ugly either. Some place are actually pretty nice thanks to the sometime creative design. The minus or less good: - Camera is sometime not really good. On some levels, it feels too close from Shelly and prevent you to see mobs. On these levels, you'll rely more on minimap to shoot at things because they are out of your field of view. - Yah, writing isn't good. I don't see it very relevant in that kind of game, but still, it's true. TL;DR : It's ok. It's a solid 7 for general player. If you like the genre, turn that into a 8, because it's a perfectly decent top-down, frantic shooter.