A huge disappointment...
This is going to be shorter than I'd like because the biggest issues I have is HOW the story is told not the content itself but how it's written. I can't go into it without spoilers which is a major problem when reviewing this game.
Let's start with gameplay. The controls are very fluid and they make combat easy. Sony has also included options to make it even easier. For example you can disable weapon away or change how good the ai is at specific things. Overall that's a great idea especially for people who just want the story.
Most of the game is stealth based. You have zombies that are best killed with sneak atttacks. Most zombie still look human so they can see and hear but there are other types that can only hear. There are also plenty of human enemies and even when the game clearly wants you to have a firefight you can get out of sight and then take them out 1 by 1 using stealth so there are options.
The problem is the gameplay is very very basic and way too easy. The saving grace of the original was it's story. Story is delivered through cutscenes and dialog while exploring. The same goes for the second game but unfortunately the story just isn't good.
Don't get me wrong... There are moments where the story is excellent and so is the dialog. The problem is the major plot points and dialog that goes with it just isn't good and it feels forced. It's essentially like they subverted expectations just for the sake of it, not because it makes for a better story.
I absolutely love the original and the series should have ended there or if they wanted to make another they should have used completely new characters.
At least the visuals are good...for the most part. The world's highly detailed but there is also a good deal of pop-in when it comes to things like grass/foliage and sometimes even textures and I'm running the game off an SSD not the 5400rpm HDD.
If you were a fan of the original you may very well like this. I enjoyed some of the gameplay but like I said it's pretty basic. The reason it's getting such a low score is because the story was just that bad. My wife watched me play the original and this...she didn't enjoy this either.
Its a shame really.
