When
the first IGI came out a couple years ago, it featured some really cool,
innovative concepts. However, lousy AI and monotonous level design plagued the
game. Now, IGI 2: Covert Strike has hit store shelves. While the game does
feature some nice improvements over its predecessor, it can’t really compete
with the much better action titles out there.
IGI 2:
Covert Strike puts you in the shoes of David Jones, an ex-SAS super spy working
for the IGI. The IGI (or Institute for Geotactical Intelligence) is an elite
group of covert operatives employed to eradicate the threat of terrorism and
global aggression the world over. As Jones, you perform various missions, taking
on enemies in several different settings.
As
Jones, you have a lot of great weapons and neat tools at your disposal. These
weapons range from silenced handguns to sub-machine guns to sniper rifles and
RPGs. They are to fairly true to life and each have unique strengths and
weaknesses. One really cool toy you can use in the game is the GPS system.
This handy-dandy device functions primarily as a map, put it also points out the
locations of cameras and guards, and even shows you their patrol patterns so you
can map out a strategy to deal with them.
Another
great thing about this game is the sheer size of the environments. The draw-in
distances are huge (you can almost see forever), giving the levels a realistic
quality. The levels also seamlessly shift from indoor to outdoor areas.
The
huge scope of these levels also accounts for the bouts of slowdown the game
suffers from. This can be a problem if you have less than 512 MB of RAM, as it
forces you to play the game with very low detail settings.
Another
nasty problem with the game is the enemy AI. The AI is slightly better than
that of the first IGI, but its still got a long way to go. Enemies will do
clever things like pretend they don’t see you and set off a flash grenade. Soon
after, however, they will run at you with guns flailing. This thoughtless “run
n’ gun” AI may have worked a few years ago, but now that games like Splinter
Cell and Medal of Honor doing cool, complicated things with AI, it just doesn’t
cut the mustard. The cheesy AI makes matters worse since the gameplay
supposedly relies on stealth, a situation where you need to think in order to
outsmart your enemies. It is often much easier (and effective) to run into a
situation with guns blazing and kill off all the enemies than figure out ways to
outfox them.
The
game’s graphics are good, but not great. The textures are pretty good, and the
environments are huge and seemingly boundless. However, the character models
are very plain and the animations look very jilted. If you don’t know what I’m
talking about, just climb a ladder and watch your character’s knees bend like a
marionette. Also, as I mentioned earlier, the huge environments account for
ugly bouts of slowdown.
The
sound does its purpose, and doesn’t really stand out in any way. Your enemies
will hear your footsteps if you move too fast and will be alerted to your
presence. The gunfire sounds like gunfire. The voice acting is fairly well
done, although the enemy banter gets pretty redundant.
IGI 2:
Covert Strike could’ve been a great game that expanded on its predecessor and
mixed 1st person action elements with the excellent covert elements
of such like games as Splinter Cell. But alas, it wasn’t. Instead we get a
nice concept mired by lousy AI and unbalanced gameplay, making for a pretty
mediocre experience.
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Gameplay: 7.5
The levels are
impressively huge in scope, and the weapons and gadgets are really cool to play
around with. If only the AI weren’t so lousy.
Graphics: 7.8
The graphics are
good, but not great. The game features some really nice textures and huge
indoor/outdoor levels, but the character models are plain and featureless and
the animations are stiff and jilted. Plus, the slowdown is pretty nasty.
Sound: 7.5
The sound is
pretty average for an action game. The voice acting is well done, although a
bit repetitive.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 7.9
The game’s
storyline is pretty similar to a Tom Clancy game. The game doesn’t really
provide any background to the story before hand (you need to rely on the manual
for that), but the story progresses nicely through the game.
Multiplayer: 8.0
The multiplayer
modes play a lot like Counter-Strike. You have certain goals your team must
accomplish, and you get to buy weapons and tools before the match starts.
Overall: 7.5
IGI 2 makes
subtle improvements over the first IGI, but ultimately not enough to make it
compare to much better titles in the stealth action genre.
