Impressions:
Hey all,
Here are my impressions about the game so far:
Single player: Short and dull.
I'm about 1/2 through the game in the sense that I've encountered more than half of the other hunters, and collected less than half of the artifacts. However, I have already been to every locale in the game. Yes folks, there is a lot of back-tracking through old content in this game. The real-estate that you traverse for each level is small. In order to lengthen playtime, the developers have implemented a gimmicky system of obstacles to make sure you cant access certain areas until later. How does this work? There are color-coded barriers that you must shoot through with the proper weapon. The puzzles here are truly old-school: destroy all enemies, find the key (or appropriate weapon) to open the next door. If you're hoping for the scripted events, smart AI, or immersive realism that is hot in other FPSes today, you won't find it here. End level boss encounters (not hunters but security devices) are pieced together from recycled graphics. 1 nice thing to say about it is that nintendo has thrown in some morf-ball puzzle sequences that utilized a different camera perspectives (side view, top view, and marble-madness like isometric view). Oh yeah, and high production value CG clips are thrown in to add atmosphere, but do not have a storytelling function.
Multi-Player: Fun yet possibly flawed.
Multi-player is a shining testament to the excellent control scheme. After a little bit of practice using the thumb-nub on the strap, you'll feel almost as confident with your cursor as when you are using a mouse. When you log on to the system, you can scrutinize detailed profiles of your performance. Since I've only engaged in 2 online sessions, I can't come up with a verdict on the character/weapon balance. However, of the hunters I've seen, it seems like sylux, with his auto-aiming weak electric shock weapon, can cheese opponents to death "any given sunday" by tap-dancing around and holding down the fire button. Final gripe: As of 3/27/06, I've only ever been able to get 1 opponent at at time over the WiFi network. Often, 2 opponents will show up on the search screen before either one or both drop out. The connection to the network also seems to come and go.
Annoyances and mediocre aspects aside, this is an interesting title because of what it dares to do and accomplishes. It can also make for some good times if some FPS deathmatching with friends while on the go appeals to you.
-Zee
