'Wait a minute, they can't mean...' Yes they can, as John Blade discovers. Hideously deformed mutants are once again appearing in the city of Freeport, and it's down to him and his trusty sidekick JC to get to the bottom of it.
The cheesecake intro sets the scene, and what follows are 17 action-packed levels (plus some new deathmatch ones) incorporating the obligatory sickening violence, bawdy humour and running around like a blue-arsed fly opening doors and so on. The story is suitably twisted, and even has characters named after employees of SiN developers Ritual, with the main bad guy going by the name of Manero - clearly a guarded reference to their Dallas neighbour John Romero. Other incestuous touches include the liberal use of a torch, wall-mounted health stations, ropes to climb, and a bald scientist with a moustache.
The 3D action game will eat itself, but while it's still alive this is a decent example of the genre and kicks some life back into the largely underrated SiN (PCZ #70, 91%). The new weapons and vehicles are neat, and the levels are varied, requiring a combination of stealth, cunning and good old-fashioned firepower. The real-world locations are obviously a good thing, and the game manages to draw you in as the madness unravels.
At the end of the day, if you liked SiN, you'll like this. As Blade says: 'I'm gonna make you my bitch.' Which is nice.
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW England and Wales company registration number 2008885
