It is, in fact, quite a stealthy game, almost
Metal Gear Solid
in style - some of the moves (particularly the unarmed combat) look like they
have been ripped right from MGS! If you want FPS action, wait for
Soldier of Fortune - playing in that way will get you very dead, very
quickly.
Gameplay is also like MGS in a different way - both games are very based around
the location idea - you have to move from room to room, each room having an
objective - unlike, say,
Quake 2,
where you run in a line killing everything and flicking the occasional switch.
Thing is, the game is a lot of fun. It's quite hard, so when you finally do
something you'll have quite a sense of satisfaction. I never expected it to
take me hours of play to escape the first 6 or 7 locations, but it did.
You make a lot of mistakes, and they can get very annoying, but you start to
get the hang and start to really get into it.
Much must be made of the graphics, supporting D3D and Glide they really are
something to behold. The locations live up to Unreal Tournament - but
the characters and their animation... realistic isn't the word. Wow. The
motion capture is simply astounding and it's great to stand still, just
watching. Bored guards wipe their nose and scratch their ass. Scientists get
fed up and get others to cover them while they have a break. Guards salute
their boss. It has to be seen.
In fact, possibly, Bob is the only problem - if only because he doesn't "fit
in" in the world, he looks a little strange. But that's correct as well. He
is a cherub, after all.
Sound as well. Conversations, sound effects, sniffing, coughing, screaming,
choking - nothing has been missed out and it shows. Music is slightly more hit
and miss. It's not constant, restricted to the moments of battle - and it's by
Fear Factory. If you don't know FF, you probably won't like them. The name
says it all. But it fits when being blown away by three fat cops.
If you have any patience and enjoy a slightly dark and twisted game,
Messiah will give you hours of fun. I'd also urge you to check out
www.messiah.com
and look at the excellent Character pictures!
So we waited 3 years for the Messiah to arrive. And now he has.
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
