I've finished my Uber run after 15 hours and 56 deaths. I would describe it as possibly the best FPS I've played since Half-Life 2, certainly since the original Modern Warfare.

It has some of the modern sensibilities baked in, like a cover system, and the ability to stealth kill people, but it's very much an FPS in the Half-Life vein. And like Half-Life 2 it's a superb game despite the shooting not actually being that great and the story being by-the-numbers and an excuse for cool set pieces.

You see, where this game excels is in everything else. There is great enemy variety and they all feel distinctive and you handle them in different ways. The guns handle differently and you will use them in different circumstances. And despite the shooting not being great, these elements combine to bring you that great feeling of the classics like Doom and Half-Life, because you will choose the right gun depending on the encounter you're in.

And it works in newer stuff really well. OK, I could live without the cover system, but the perks give you a great incentive to try out different ways of playing, without feeling like a necessary burden. Get lots of throwing knife kills? Here, have an extra knife slot. It's just fun. Stealth provides you one alternative to many encounters, and in addition the game will often provide you another route which you can discover to make life easier. You feel like you have options, and on the top difficulty I felt like I needed to explore them to win. It even has some replayability in that you make an early choice which bumps you into one of two timelines.

Uber difficulty felt just right to me. I could die, but generally it felt like I'd messed up. Maybe a couple of encounters towards the end where I felt I had to play off advance knowledge, but generally I was just deadly enough but a slip up could cost me dearly.

Collectables have been nicely updated. I was doing my best to track them down, but finding them didn't feel like it ruined the pacing. They're not obnoxious to find, yet surprisingly difficulty to spot, but not in an unfair way. Hell, they glow and I still managed to miss some. Never quite figured out what causes them to get marked on my map sometimes and not others though. I thought it was collecting the level map, but apparently not.

But the real jewel in the crown are the characters and the story telling. As I said, the story itself isn't anything to write home about, it's just an excuse for lots of big set pieces. However, this is the first FPS in a long, long time where I have been invested in the people. The game paces it perfectly, you learn about these people, get to know them, and you care about what happens. It's the equal of any Valve game in this respect. And it's all set against this monstrous backdrop of war crimes. In a way it's odd to have this contrast between over-the-top nazi robots and mad scientists, and then these mundane yet horrific crimes and psychopaths. But it works.

There's some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ I have, but they're not worth getting into because overall this game is just plain good. It leaves itself open for another in the series, and were it developed by MachineGames I'd put down for a pre-order.

I've finished my Uber run after 15 hours and 56 deaths. I would describe it as possibly the best FPS I've played since Half-Life 2, certainly since the original Modern Warfare. It has some of the modern sensibilities baked in, like a cover system, and the ability to stealth kill people, but it's very much an FPS in the Half-Life vein. And like Half-Life 2 it's a superb game despite the shooting not actually being that great and the story being by-the-numbers and an excuse for cool set pieces. You see, where this game excels is in everything else. There is great enemy variety and they all feel distinctive and you handle them in different ways. The guns handle differently and you will use them in different circumstances. And despite the shooting not being great, these elements combine to bring you that great feeling of the classics like Doom and Half-Life, because you will choose the right gun depending on the encounter you're in. And it works in newer stuff really well. OK, I could live without the cover system, but the perks give you a great incentive to try out different ways of playing, without feeling like a necessary burden. Get lots of throwing knife kills? Here, have an extra knife slot. It's just fun. Stealth provides you one alternative to many encounters, and in addition the game will often provide you another route which you can discover to make life easier. You feel like you have options, and on the top difficulty I felt like I needed to explore them to win. It even has some replayability in that you make an early choice which bumps you into one of two timelines. Uber difficulty felt just right to me. I could die, but generally it felt like I'd messed up. Maybe a couple of encounters towards the end where I felt I had to play off advance knowledge, but generally I was just deadly enough but a slip up could cost me dearly. Collectables have been nicely updated. I was doing my best to track them down, but finding them didn't feel like it ruined the pacing. They're not obnoxious to find, yet surprisingly difficulty to spot, but not in an unfair way. Hell, they glow and I still managed to miss some. Never quite figured out what causes them to get marked on my map sometimes and not others though. I thought it was collecting the level map, but apparently not. But the real jewel in the crown are the characters and the story telling. As I said, the story itself isn't anything to write home about, it's just an excuse for lots of big set pieces. However, this is the first FPS in a long, long time where I have been invested in the people. The game paces it perfectly, you learn about these people, get to know them, and you care about what happens. It's the equal of any Valve game in this respect. And it's all set against this monstrous backdrop of war crimes. In a way it's odd to have this contrast between over-the-top nazi robots and mad scientists, and then these mundane yet horrific crimes and psychopaths. But it works. There's some niggles I have, but they're not worth getting into because overall this game is just plain good. It leaves itself open for another in the series, and were it developed by MachineGames I'd put down for a pre-order.