Trigger

So I picked up Chrome. It's a FPS for the PC. I had played the demo (which was actually the first level of the game) and thought it was pretty decent - and I had been following the progress of the game off and on for awhile. I'm only a few levels in and I can tell this is going to be a pretty good game. It's not perfect, but it's fun.

The weapons and inventory system works alot like System Shock or Deus Ex - and like Deus Ex there are implants that enhance your characters abilities and you aquire them and upgrade them throughout the story as you progress. The story is kinda cheezy - intergalactic bounty hunters, blah blah... it's not unbareable though.

There are problems with the game - for example - it's not always clear what you're supposed to do next. Like, you will complete a task and then the next section loads up and you're being shot it... you have no idea where it is coming from and you're going to be looking in the completely wrong direction because that's where the little cutscene directed your attention. It's usually just some little illogical moments. They keep telling me that my objectives have been updated, but I have no idea how to check them to see what they are. However, it's not that bad - they tell you basically what to do next.

The game does have good physics and some good ragdoll effects on the enemies you kill. The sound and graphics are top shelf. It's DirectX 8.1 stuff though, so don't expect the super dynamic lighting that you're waiting for in Doom 3 or Half Life 2. It does have good lighting effects though and there are shadows... there are lots of huge outdoor environments in this which is probably one of the best features of their engine. The only thing I don't like is the ameturish character design - the faces don't look all that great - not horrible, but nothing special.

The weapons are pretty balanced so far - and you can really only carry 2 main weapons at a time... kinda like halo. Also kinda like halo is the use of vehicles - you can get into any vehicle you come across and drive it around... there's also stationary turrets. You can even kill someone sitting in a car and toss his body out and get in where he was sitting.

For all its flaws, the game has alot of potential. As I said I'm only on the second level. I can see it getting pretty deep. Anyone who is a fan of Deus Ex and/or Halo and/or System Shock 2 - do yourself a favor and pick this up at a bargain price.

RoQuEr

It'll be 2 years before my computer can handle deus ex 2 or doom 3. Sounds great, though its the story, and nothing else which makes games like system shock the masterpieces they are.