et in the middle of the 21st century, Project: Snowblind posits a world on the edge of annihilation. The focal point is a coup d'etat in Hong Kong. It is unclear exactly who the pro-coup, pro-world-destruction forces represent or where the anti-coup, anti-world-destruction forces are from, but the player's character, the Lieutenant (sometimes referred to as the Judge), is clearly on the anti-world-destruction side. All the player has to do is shoot at everyone and everything that turns the targeting reticule red, while avoiding all the gunfire directed at them.
After an initial firefight that introduces the game's combat and gets the Lieutenant badly injured, the medics rebuild him as a cyborg. This is where the game begins in earnest, as it is his cyborg abilities give the Lieutenant the edge in battle. Due to the rushed nature of his conversion, the abilities show up one at a time over the course of the game. By the end, he can see through walls, apply super-speed to his reflexes, put up a force field, become invisible and shoot electricity. All of those powers are on top of the arsenal of guns, grenades and equipment he picks up as the game moves along. One of those pieces of equipment that is at least as useful as the cyborg abilities is a hacking gun that lets the player take over enemy turrets and robots.
In addition to the single-player campaign, there is also an online multiplayer mode to P:S. Games can be played according to deathmatch rules, or capture the flag. There is no cooperative mode. Players can choose from four different weapons load-outs each time they respawn in a multiplayer game. The only major difference between the single-player campaign and the multiplayer games is that there are no cyborg powers in the online matches. These matches also exclude the hacking gun. Players face off with only guns, grenades, mines, gizmos and sometimes vehicles.
The same thing, only different
It is axiomatic in the gaming industry that what players want is the same thing, only different this time. P:S is very much the embodiment of this axiom. It is a lot like many other games that are already on the market, such as Halo, Psi-Ops, Splinter Cell and, particularly, Deus Ex. At the same time, it is different from any of those games, so that playing it is a new experience. P:S avoids some of the flaws in similar games, but it has a few weak points of its own.
The graphics in P:S are one of its strengths. The levels give the feel of the Hong Kong setting without being heavyhanded. Nearly every special power, and some of the attacks, change the view in some way, so that the player can easily see what buffs they have up at any time. Another strength is that although P:S can be played as a stealth game, there is no penalty for playing it as a straight shooter. Nearly all the objectives can be met whether the player stealth-kills the guards or simply lobs grenades at them.
On the downside, there is nothing in the story of P:S that is new or original. Some of the mechanics are both, but the plot and dialogue are strictly by the numbers. Also, the wide variety of powers and weapons actually turns out to be an embarrassment of riches, particularly with the limited number of buttons on an Xbox controller. Changing guns, grenades or powers requires cycling through the options, which gets tricky in the middle of a firefight. Much easier to set the weapons and powers outside a room and then kick in the door.
Overall, P:S is a solid game that delivers the carnage and adrenaline that players expect from a first-person shooter. It provides many interesting and varied ways to kill things, but also allows the player to match wits with the AI by sneaking when they care to.
One of the things I enjoyed most about Project: Snowblind was how often I had AI-controlled allies fighting with me. 'Course, the rocket launcher was an even greater help in clearing rooms, but the allies drew more fire.
—Eric
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