I played this game for a long time after I borrowed it from a friend, this was NOT because I enjoyed the game. I am one of those computer gamers who just HAS to complete a game, no matter how little I enjoy it, just so I can say I did it. (And no, I’m not one of those gamers who HAS to complete a game, even if it means cheating, I never cheat to make the game easier)
Produced by Codemasters, the large resources and past quality of games by this company should have meant that this baby was going to be sweet, unfortunately no. This game is a prime example of why so many hard-core gamers are turning away from newly produced, graphically-puuurdy-yet-content-empty games and reverting to the old skool style games once more again. I guess that instead of making a good game, Codemasters thought it would be more profitable to spew out this trash, the only thing redeeming them is the fact they produced Operation Flashpoint.
This game is also a prime example of a good concept turned bad by poor execution. This game could have been THE best game ever (this is no exaggeration) if it had been done right. Most gamers bought this game hoping it would be another great "stealth-em-up" something along the lines of "Thief" or "Hitman" but most were sorely disappointed.
The box of Project IGI claims that the game was "Tested by the military" however it was perhaps the Italian Military because if anyone with any sense in their heads had actually played this game, they might have pointed out a few problems which, if sorted, would have made the game a real treat for its players. Here's what I think the main problems are:
- The mere thought of a single man sneaking into an enemy military base and stealing/capturing/killing whoever is silly enough, but surely he wouldn't choose to do it at daytime? (Almost every mission is done during the day.)
- The enemy AI is as sharp as a spoon and as intuitive as a Daily Mail reporter, really, they can't climb ladders, they can't see booby-traps that you lay (which are pretty large) in combat simply stand there and spray at you with their mandatory AK-47s, never taking cover, crouching, using grenades or any kind of tactic or teamwork
- You can "sneak" past an enemy at 200M out in the open, wearing a clown costume and singing cum-bay-ya (ok, that’s a joke), but at about 100M or less no matter whether you're in the shadows, crouching or not, you still get spotted. This SEVERELY limits the "sneakability" of the game.
- There is no "prone" position for the player, and although the enemy can leap to the floor occasionally it is usually at the wrong time, often causing high velocity death to rapidly hit their back and head. The prone position would have made sneaking much easier and much more fun.
- The soldiers are not only stupid, but are boring. Wouldn’t it be nice if the soldier walking around the perimeter took out a packet of cigarettes and lit up every now and then, or if the soldiers in offices sat on chairs and did things, other than staring blankly out of the window waiting for you to happen by?
- This game is supposed to be faux-real but the main character can take three times as many hits as an enemy trooper and can carry dozens of weapons and hundreds of spare clips of ammo, plus he doesn't limp or bleed when hit by a bullet what’s with that?
- The Glock 17 is vastly overpowered because of the relatively small number of hits an enemy can take from any weapon (three from a Glock or MP5, two from anything else, unless it's in the head) and the small amount of recoil the pistol has compared to say, the M16.
There are a few good points to the game though, the map is really nifty for example and when you climb ladders or anything else which requires you to put your gun away, the game switches to a third-person view so you can check no one is sneaking up on you. The best part of the game in my humble opinion is the terrain, which on some missions is actually beautiful.
All the above points are of course subjective, but if you're looking for a reasonably fast paced shoot-em-up or a nice slow, creeping stealth-em-up this game will disappoint, if you enjoy easily picking off stupid enemies from afar, then this game is right up your alley!