21 out of 21 people found this review helpful.
Mind boggling visuals and game play to match
Date of Review: Apr 2, 2004
The Bottom Line: Without a doubt one of the best FPS games both in playability and graphical awe with enough content to keep most people interested.
I couldn't avoid the buzz about this game at work so I had to try it out. I knew that the game requirements were pretty steep but I wasn't overly concerned since I have a P4 3.2, 2GB mem, and an NVidia TI-4600. Well I stand corrected.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
I play at 1280x1024 (all resolution settings are 32-bit color only) and at "high" details level all around. The game will run smooth for the most part, but there are times when the fighting gets intense that it will become a bit sluggish. It seems that this game will support many levels of computer hardware since all of the detail settings can be adjusted to Low, Medium, High, Very High and in Water Detail even Ultra High. The game recommends up to 1GB of RAM and a top-of-the-line graphics card (ATI 9800Pro, NVidia GeForceFX 5950). Not meeting these excessive requirements will still allow a decent gameplay experience though.
SETUP
The setup for the game takes a while considering the game folder ends up at just about 3GB even. Start installing and then straighten up your desk, get a drink, or whatever because it will be a few minutes before this bad boy is ready to go. After it is installed, the game has an auto-detect function that will help you choose what detail settings and resolution to choose for your system, which to me appeared to be pretty accurate. I had zero problems playing the game at the system chosen setting except that I have a flat panel monitor, and I wanted to run it at it's native resolution so I bumped up the resolution. I would assume that this is where my occasional slowdown comes into play, as I didn't have any problems before this point.
THE GAME
The first thing I noticed in the game was that you can distract enemies by throwing pebbles to make noise. This distraction effect can be handy throughout the game to draw enemies near or get them away from where you are.
The second thing that EVERYONE will notice after a couple minutes into the game when you get out into the open environment is that the graphics and detail in this game are absolutely stellar. They are unlike anything I have ever seen in a game, from the extremely detailed character maps to the waves of the ocean crashing up onto the shore. Almost everything in the environment can be interacted with, from shelves in buildings, to hanging carcasses, to the birds in the sky. You can even shoot fish in the water and they will float up to the surface and roll in the waves. You might find yourself focusing on the visuals more than the game at first since they are so impressive.
The landscape is amazing compared to that of games like Ghost Recon. You can actually hide in the grass and bushes and the enemies will lose track of you. If hidden well, they can actually be standing right next to you and not realize you are there. Granted that works both ways and I ended up getting shot quite a bit from the sneaky enemies. The vegetation reacts to explosions and the wind, and it will also even leave shadows on your hand as you run through.
In order to complete the different objectives in the game, you are not set to any particular approach, but are left to decide your plan of attack. You are not required to run from Point A to Point B via Path C. You can drive around to a different part of the island in a boat and progress from there or you can bushwack through the jungle. It doesn't matter, just reach that spot on the compass. Some areas need for you to be stealth and creep about so they do not see you right away, and other moments are all-out gunfire fests.
The AI is impressive with enemies taking cover behind boulders and then peeking out the other side to shoot at you. They even will flank and surround you and will seem to attack from all sides. To help with this, you have a set of high-tech binoculars that will plot enemies on your compass once they have been viewed by them. You can even hear what the enemies are saying to each other when you are zoomed in on them. These are handy so that you do not get caught in the open by a squad of grunts that are ready to mow you down.
You can drive different forms of vehicles in the game from armed buggies to slow, gigantic trucks. You can even fly a hang-glider. The steering can get a little hard at times but there is a 3rd person view that will help navigate around the islands when you are in a vehicle (which also makes aiming next to impossible).
Multiplayer consists of Assault and Deathmatch style game play which I haven't really tried out yet. Too bad there is no co-op multiplayer.
One of the only bad parts about the game that I have come across so far are some crazy attack monkeys that are near impossible to beat. They move lightning quick and can leap crazy distances, only to kill you in 2 hits, regardless if you have full health and armor or not. Once you are hit, you get stunned and you may as well let go of the mouse because before you can aim again you are dead. The best I can say about these guys is take your time, try to attack from a distance with the sniper rifle or at least aim for their head, and get ready to run. Use the binoculars to try and find them in the open.
Another drawback is the lack of a quick-save feature. The game has specified save points that you hit along the way, but if you get to the end of an area before a save point and you die, you have to go back possibly quite a bit to get back to where you died (maybe just to die again).
Aside from these two minuses and the fact that the game has such steep requirements, this is by far one of the best FPS games I have ever played and would definitely recommend to the anyone who enjoys this type of game.
