Posted September 11, 2010
This game is a lot of fun - but it could have been so much more.
This is one of the few psionic action games available for the PC. If you like the idea of using paranormal abilities in a fast paced action game, then the purchase should be a no-brainer.
But if you only want your action games polished and bug free, you should propably look elsewhere. During my playthrough I had about 5-10 CTDs which is a fairly high amount for me.
The best thing about the game is the fast paced combat with its fluid combination of weapons and psionic powers. The unusual control scheme works surprisingly well and using your powers and weapons with the console-based autolock system is very convenient. You will often find yourself fighting and finishing off multiple enemies in a couple of seconds while simultaneously switching between your current power and weapon, dodging enemy fire and throwing in an occasional melee attack for good measure. I can't stress this enough: fighting in this game is fun. Propably the most fun I had in a PC Action game with some sort of supernatural hero. Fighting is a lot more fluid than in Second Sight, the pace and integration of weapons is a lot better than in the Jedi Knight series, Enter The Matrix isn't even a contest and Bloodrayne is no comparison in style and feeling. I didn't play Psi-Ops, so I cannot really compare the two. Combat is what makes this game stand out and so much fun to play.
There is the possibility of leveling your weapons and powers through usage, which allows for minor customization of your playing style. A neat feature.
However the game certainly has its flaws.
One already mentioned are the bugs: climbing is a mess, glitching bosses, CTDs,...
The most annoying are the CTDs, but those are usually compensated through the automatic checkpoint system. The others are really minor annoyances.
The most striking flaw for the gameplay experience is the poor balance of weapons and powers. This means two things. First, while power and weapon customization sounds neat (and is to a certain extent) it falls short of its potential; a lot of weapons are fairly useless, so you will very soon start focusing on the more potent ones or simply ignore useless powers and weapons altogether. At the end some powers will be so ridiculously powerful that you can simply walk over groups of 3 or 4.
Secondly, since the enemies use the exact same weapons as you do with the same poor balance, some groups are surprisingly strong which often means that you are dead within a matter of seconds without knowing why. Fortunately checkpoints are frequently enough so that you will not lose much time.
With a better balance and maybe a few weapons and powers more customization could have actually meant something making replays a lot more rewarding. You can choose not to use certain powers but then you will be at a significant disadvantage.
Another flaw is the story presentation. For one thing, a lot of prerendered cutscenes are of noticeably lower quality and resolution than ingame cutscenes, which makes certain characters almost painful to look at. Why spend so much time creating unique character designs when you destroy the whole experience by having low quality cutscenes?
There is also a problem with the cutscenes content. There is unbelievably little dialogue in them. Why would you hire a distinguished science fiction author for writing the screenplay (not the story itself!) when you only use so preciously few of dialogue lines. As a result the storyline often feels rushed without having its essentials satisfyingly explained - especially the often abrupt changes of scenery. But it just could be that Orson Scott Card is not a talented script writer.
All things considered, this game is still a great experience; the story does not really surprise you (that propably would have happened in the sequels) and there is certainly a lack of polish in the game, but when the game lets you wreak havoc with so much dynamics and style those problems are easily forgotten. With better balance allowing for real customization and a more coherent story presentation this game could have been one of the greatest. The way it is, it's "only" great fun.
(If you are interested in a psionic action game with a more serious story you should check out Second Sight - available here)
This is one of the few psionic action games available for the PC. If you like the idea of using paranormal abilities in a fast paced action game, then the purchase should be a no-brainer.
But if you only want your action games polished and bug free, you should propably look elsewhere. During my playthrough I had about 5-10 CTDs which is a fairly high amount for me.
The best thing about the game is the fast paced combat with its fluid combination of weapons and psionic powers. The unusual control scheme works surprisingly well and using your powers and weapons with the console-based autolock system is very convenient. You will often find yourself fighting and finishing off multiple enemies in a couple of seconds while simultaneously switching between your current power and weapon, dodging enemy fire and throwing in an occasional melee attack for good measure. I can't stress this enough: fighting in this game is fun. Propably the most fun I had in a PC Action game with some sort of supernatural hero. Fighting is a lot more fluid than in Second Sight, the pace and integration of weapons is a lot better than in the Jedi Knight series, Enter The Matrix isn't even a contest and Bloodrayne is no comparison in style and feeling. I didn't play Psi-Ops, so I cannot really compare the two. Combat is what makes this game stand out and so much fun to play.
There is the possibility of leveling your weapons and powers through usage, which allows for minor customization of your playing style. A neat feature.
However the game certainly has its flaws.
One already mentioned are the bugs: climbing is a mess, glitching bosses, CTDs,...
The most annoying are the CTDs, but those are usually compensated through the automatic checkpoint system. The others are really minor annoyances.
The most striking flaw for the gameplay experience is the poor balance of weapons and powers. This means two things. First, while power and weapon customization sounds neat (and is to a certain extent) it falls short of its potential; a lot of weapons are fairly useless, so you will very soon start focusing on the more potent ones or simply ignore useless powers and weapons altogether. At the end some powers will be so ridiculously powerful that you can simply walk over groups of 3 or 4.
Secondly, since the enemies use the exact same weapons as you do with the same poor balance, some groups are surprisingly strong which often means that you are dead within a matter of seconds without knowing why. Fortunately checkpoints are frequently enough so that you will not lose much time.
With a better balance and maybe a few weapons and powers more customization could have actually meant something making replays a lot more rewarding. You can choose not to use certain powers but then you will be at a significant disadvantage.
Another flaw is the story presentation. For one thing, a lot of prerendered cutscenes are of noticeably lower quality and resolution than ingame cutscenes, which makes certain characters almost painful to look at. Why spend so much time creating unique character designs when you destroy the whole experience by having low quality cutscenes?
There is also a problem with the cutscenes content. There is unbelievably little dialogue in them. Why would you hire a distinguished science fiction author for writing the screenplay (not the story itself!) when you only use so preciously few of dialogue lines. As a result the storyline often feels rushed without having its essentials satisfyingly explained - especially the often abrupt changes of scenery. But it just could be that Orson Scott Card is not a talented script writer.
All things considered, this game is still a great experience; the story does not really surprise you (that propably would have happened in the sequels) and there is certainly a lack of polish in the game, but when the game lets you wreak havoc with so much dynamics and style those problems are easily forgotten. With better balance allowing for real customization and a more coherent story presentation this game could have been one of the greatest. The way it is, it's "only" great fun.
(If you are interested in a psionic action game with a more serious story you should check out Second Sight - available here)
