I use to enjoy playing FPS between one game and the other, and I enjoy the mindless shooters in particular.

I bought “Sin” on Steam early this month because the price was lowered from $20 to $15, so I thought it was more acceptable for a few hours of play. And it wasn’t that bas as I thought. Only playing it right now because the download was quite huge (3Gb or so) and I even forgot I had bought it for a while. With the game (that is built with the exact same engine of HL2) you also have bundled the original and quite old “Sin”.

“Sin” is like a cheaper version of HL2, that doesn’t take itself too seriously. HL2 tends to be more sophisticated and ambitious, precise and polished to the extreme. Sin is instead more like the summer movie without pretence. With a liberal use of digital boobs (that do not bounce really well, to be honest) and the usual type of shooter “on rails” with minor scripted events that lead you around.

Some parts can be fun. For example I reached a room that was shaped like a “T” corridor. I step in and I hear gun shoots toward me. I see the decals and sparkles on a box to the right so I guess a few enemies are part the left corridor and I step back to avoid getting shot. I notice an exploding barrer right near the left corner so I grab it and then toss it forward, then I lean to shoot at it and go back to cover. The shooting barrels have the usual behaviour, they get set on fire (and people near get on fire too, screaming and running) and then explode. BOOM! Enemies dead. But I still hear some radio chatter. I notice a fire extinguisher on the right. These explode after a while like the barrels, but while the barrels sit in the place, the fire extinguishers start to run all around the room like a pierced balloon as they are hit, before they explode. So I shoot on it and see it zip on the pavement to the other corridor, pushing away a box that was blocking it and moving out of my visual. I wait, it seems that it doesn’t explode, then… BOOM! And I see one dead enemy body being projected by the explosion and falling right in front of me in an awkward position. And I go.. “Strike!” Quite satisfying :)

The second initial sequence where you are chased was quite enjoyable and at least moderately dangerous, If you don’t act too oddly it flows rather well and has a good feel. I’m still moving around the initial level but it feels a lot like HL2 beginning. There’s even an Alyx-like character that leads you around and at times if feels like if you are playing a spin-off more than a whole different game. The fact that the character doesn’t say a word like Gordon Freeman strengthens that impression.

Till now there are a lot of dialogues but they are quite decent. And the opening song is remarkable.

Every time I play a game that isn’t exactly at the top line I start to try to figure out what it misses. The textures are of a similar style of HL2, not really of the same quality, but we are there. There’s overall a slight less polish, less attention to the detail and some textures that cover too large blocks, or lower resolutions used here and there. Some lights not so well lit. The environments are ok, not too inspired, a bit repetitive and generic but still better than the absolute monotony of FEAR, imho. At least they aren’t completely monocromatic. The exteriors have a good atmosphere, with a warm light. You still run around docks, sewers and the usual kind of industrial/city complexes. Not too imaginative but not too disappointing either. Urban combat tends to be fun. The character textures are of an average quality, the same for the animations, which are serviceable. The characters look like automatons as they turn, but I’m nitpicking. The models instead are a bit lackluster and way too blocky when they try to model clothes. The “heads” are well modeled, even if not on the same level of HL2, everything below much less (the hands are the worst part). The physics engine is the exact same of HL2 with random pickup objects always around, and it even has a better, stronger feel compared to HL2.

I cannot comment yet about the length of the game and its overall value compared to the price as I didn’t finished it. But I already know that it will feel too short because every FPS I play usually feels like that and I like long games where I can lose myself. The game has also an “Arena mode” with various settings and different maps to choose. It shouldn’t be multiplayer but only something like a survival mode with monsters spawning continuously and you going in a killing spree. I think I could like these kinds of things but I haven’t checked this out as I’m still downloading the game and it looks like that part is still missing.

There are also some other nice touches, like the possibility to shoot at the health pack “bottles” instead of picking them up, breaking the glass and making them release a cloud in the room. And the game has also a “difficulty slider” with a wide range that goes from “casual” to “hardcore”. Not sure what it does exactly but the game is moderately challenging with the slider exactly in the middle, and I read it becomes quite challenging at the highest difficulty mode. There’s also another slide below that one that is supposed to calibrate the “extra help” if you struggle in one part of the game, and it goes from “quickly” to “never” (I have it on “never”). Then the game tracks a bunch of stats while you play and it even makes some fancy graphs that you can observe. I wish they had an help mode to understand better their meaning though (like the comparison between “skill” and “challenge”).

Overall it’s not a masterpiece or that game that you cannot miss, but now it’s cheap and moderately fun if you like the kind of game. The AI of the bad guys isn’t particular smart and more scripted than dynamic and adaptable. I read the game only have very few enemies types to it may feel not so much varied. On average those guys feel a lot like the basic Combine soldiers on HL2 but at least they represent a decent threat if you compare them with the sit-in-the-place-and-stare grunts in Prey. The weapons you use are a bit lackluster because there’s nothing new. I still only got the pistol and the rifle but I don’t expect much more coming. The pistol hits right in the center and you can shot with an absolute precision even on long distance if you aim well. While the pistol alternate model has a quite pretty Matrix-like effect. The bad guys always die with two pistol bullets, one if you get an headshot. Death animations are good, ragdolls less.

Next time… More digital boobs please! I like games were sex is liberally used as I like games that take themselves more seriously. Variety is good! (and thanks for the captions, they are always appreciated. Even if I would also like a log)

I’ll try to add later some screenshots.