Wrapped up the campaign. Feeling rather done with the game now, so won't try the online, but here's a few more thoughts.
A hint for those still playing: do pay the Solarium a visit once or twice.
Positives:
- Game seems like it'd be very impressive on the 3DS. On console the lack of enemy variety and dearth in bossfights feel a bit more noticeable, but it cleans up very well in HD. Couple of decent voice performances despite poor material.
- The Queen Zenobia is a pretty decent setting. Gives 'em license to do anything from cargo holds to Titanic esque suites and casinos. Easy excuse to have swaying environments, cramped hallways, and an aquatic theme for the monsters.
- Big fan of the pacing. Short episodes with cliffhangers make it easy to put the game down, or do one more chapter. Initially the recaps annoyed me, but they're nice to have after not playing for a few days. Towards the back half things get a bit more exciting since they don't cut away to useless side-stories as often.
- Love 3D maps like Metroid Prime.
Negatives:
- It's just not scary at all. Nor funny, nor moving. At most it has a few intense action scenes, but I felt very detached from the whole thing.
- The plot's events wildly outscale your sphere of influence: what are Jill and Parker going to do about orbital laser satellites? Basically nothing besides release a drone. Which means you flat-out don't interact with entire sections of the story, including the ending where you fight one of the pawns while the actual chess endgame occurs miles away in cut-scenes. I'm not saying stories need to revolve around its main characters, but why are we even here, just to find one USB drive?
- Every time we cut away from the Queen Zenobia to do beach clean-ups, protect office supplies, or press buttons in airports & planes, all tension evaporates. I get the campaign needs to hit the 10 hour mark to satisfy the spreadsheets, but the game is already action-heavy. Slotting in extra action segments feels redundant. At least the turret sections are a change of pace.
- Most characters really suck and many don't even complete a dramatic arc. Do the bad guys even have a master plan? Sure would've helped make their threat feel more immediate if we had an idea what they were working towards.
- The game is over-reliant on "shocking twists" to cap off episodes, only to immediately undo them the second you continue playing. You really expect me to believe Parker, Quint, Raymond, and Keith died for real this time, when you're constantly faking their deaths?
- Besides shooting zombies you're just not doing a lot here: puzzles are throwaway fetch quests, and rarely is your curiosity to explore rewarded with things other than ammo.
On balance I wasn't super impressed, but on 3DS this is probably one of the more impressive games along with MGS 3, Kid Icarus and Smash. The game does improve a bit in the back half, but I'm not really sold on the series by it.