… This game is scary to say the least.

Till now I have played only a little, and here are few first impressions:

1. Graphics: As a person with little bit knowledge in computer graphics, I am really amazed at the light/shadow effect that the engine is able to produce. The realtime refraction from glass window, the slight shimmeting effect of the background whenever there is a source of intense heat – these are just awesome to say the least. Everything is incredibly detailed. Though I would mention here the amount of interaction that you can do with various objects scattered inside a room, (eg, table, chair, etc)… these are better handled in Max Payne II (or so I thought). Regarding the asthetic appeal of the graphics, most people may find the lush green landscape of Far Cry much more pleasing to the eye rather than the futuristic grim metal walls of Doom 3. There are a plethora of games and movies in which a remote lab on a distant planet has been shown, and Doom 3 is no different (at least to the point that I have progressed in the game). But it is definitely technically much more advanced than the other games of this genre. The characters are comparable to the prerendered animated movies a few years old (eg: Final Fantasy).

2. Sound: I am not in a position to comment on the sound quality because I have been playing this in my laptop the sound system of which is far from perfect. But all I can say that the ambiance, the screams and the occasional faint music integrates extremely well with the mood of the gameplay.. and combined with the light and shadow it definitely produces a real creepy environment. Sometimes you would really think twice before going towards a shadowy place.

3. Gameplay: Not much different from other FPS games. Always have a mission objective, shoot the bad guys, advance through levels, collect ammo, armor and health. There is a nice addition of a PDA, which sometimes helps to unravel the plot. There are numerous cinematic cutscenes which tells the story. The incredibly detailed TV screens, security and other terminals are a nice addon. The bottomline is, I would say the gameplay is … umm.. usual.

More later….

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