Graphics
Speaking of seeing something new, for most of the game I’d have been happy to have seen anything at all. To say the game is dark is an understatement. The vast majority of the game will have you wishing there was a Braille version, just so you could have an idea of where you were supposed to be going or perhaps even admiring the hard work that had gone into making your surroundings.
The real time lighting, (what lights there are), is superb, as are the real time shadows, but it’s nothing we’ve not seen before in Far Cry. You’ve got the full range of visual effects packed in here with heat haze, misting, fog, reflections et al, it’s just a shame that most of the time all the effort is wasted as you can’t see anything!
I know that id designed the game to shock and scare and the whole lack of light thing sticks with the storyline of a facility running on auxiliary power, but games are supposed to be fun above all else. Banging you’re shin on the coffee table during a power cut isn’t fun and this game is the digital version of just that. To help you find your way you are provided with a torch, which is great except that you can’t hold a weapon and carry the torch in your other hand.
Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but are id seriously trying to tell me that the kick-ass marine you’re playing can’t hold a pistol in one hand a torch in another? Obviously, as you have to switch between the torch and any other weapon you wish to carry, this does add to the tension in the game and getting a glimpse of something in you’re beam is very scary. But in the middle of a fire fight it’s a total pain in the bum and to me, its an artificial and contrived way to increase the difficulty level and therefore increase the longevity of the game. Call me picky if you like, but I know that even today’s weapons have integral flashlights, id seem to think that we lose this ‘technology’ 150 years from now?
