This is yet another 90s throwback shooter that certainly captures the low poly look of Quake. It also has the Demonic/Lovecraftian theming of Doom. But something about it just didn’t work for me. I think it’s a combination of the same-y design from level to level, and the way all the weapons don’t feel like they have any “oompf.” I know that’s not a terribly specific criticism but it all comes down to feel. I think the older shooters that I am nostalgic for were from before Quake or after Half-Life. Dusk occupies that awkward “we’re just starting to figure out 3-D graphics” phase of FPS development that was sandwiched between those two landmark games.
John Woo is no longer at the helm in this the third Better Tomorrow installment and it shows. We still get Chow Yun Fat, but the aura of “cool” is absent. This is a prequel, so perhaps he hadn’t learned how to be cool yet, What we do get is a corny love triangle that develops against the backdrop of the fall of Saigon. It’s not a bad movie per se, but it definitely is not what one would expect from A Better Tomorrow. Woo’s gun-fu was never exactly realistic but its fantastical violence was musical and romanticized. Hark’s action is just plain goofy. Still fun to watch, but goofy and really should have been its own thing.
I spent most of this game sneaking around trying to play the entire thing without killing anyone. In the process I think I missed out on much of the customization mechanics that the series is known for. There are entire branches of the augmentation tech tree that I never even thought to turn on. I focused most of my skill points on hacking and seeing enemies through walls and that seemed to be enough to knock-out every enemy on the map. I don’t know. Even though I enjoyed it, it feels kind of broken.
There’s a another convoluted Deus Ex plot that tries to push the idea that augmented humans are the victims of racism. It doesn’t really make sense because every bad thing that happens in the plot is perpetrated by an augmented human. This tends to justify the whole, “we think augs are evil” ideology you are supposed to be fighting against.
The game feels a lot bigger than it actually is. The graphics are lovely and the city of Prague is filled with details. Unfortunately, there isn’t much to do outside of the main missions and maybe half-a-dozen side quests.
A silent motorcycle riding man with amnesia is recruited by the local crime boss to . This should be an action-packed Yakuza crime thriller, but not much of anything happens. That is until the out-of-nowhere twist is revealed at the end (okay, I have to spoil this so stop reading in 3… 2… 1… he’s a robot!). It makes absolutely no sense especially when the rest of the movie looks and sounds like an arty character study. It’s not like The Sixth Sense where you can rewatch and see everything in a new context.
