IGI 2: Covert Strike
Richard interrogates Innerloop’s tactically-minded shooter in this full review.
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There are a number of weapons available but you are limited to carrying one heavy weapon and one pistol at a time, with some extra space for things like grenades and mission specific equipment. The weapons are nicely modelled and you'll pick up many familiar names like the M-16 or the AK-47, each with appropriately solid sounds to go with them. Some are silenced while others are made for packing a punch but will draw attention. If you run out of ammo or wish to change guns, any weapon that the enemy drops may be picked up. The accuracy of each is also taken into account with cross hairs expanding as you hold the trigger down. You are also more accurate whilst lying down, rather than standing up. A big problem is that the enemy seems to not be bound by these same restrictions. You'll often find yourself being hit repeatedly from great distances by weapons that are wildly inaccurate when you use them, and certainly not accurate enough to land a three round burst on target which they manage to do.
Along this vein of thought the game does itself a disservice by not being consistent with its use of world rules. Some security cameras can be destroyed while others are bullet proof. One checkpoint will have glass that you can shoot through while another won't. There is no visual indication that I could see that let's you know which is which, meaning you must shoot first, thus giving away your position, to find out. These are familiar problems in many games but that doesn't excuse the error.
Problems such as these then have a negative effect on the stealth aspect of the gameplay. In order for you to plan effectively you have to know how your actions are going to effect the game world. Instead trial and error becomes the formula you employ. In order to stay hidden as you move around you have three basic positions, standing upright, crouching and laying down. Each position naturally has an effect on your speed of movement as well. A bar on the interface indicates your exposure at any one time. You are given binoculars which let you zoom in to examine enemy positions, but you rarely require them. A thermal scope allows you easily spot the enemy that show up as if they were wearing Technicolor dreamcoats. The thermal scope can also see through some walls and doors and will show you where reinforcements will appear from should an alarm go off. To top it all off there is an electronic map which lets you view everything from above, highlighting enemies that are within your field of view with small blue triangles and numbering the buildings according to the objectives.
Even with all these facets to aid you in sneaking about I rarely bothered. I found it much easier to kill any enemies that might get in my way and then afterward complete the objectives. You are given a rating at the end of each mission based on the time it took you to complete it and the number of times you were seen. Suffice it to say I was mostly unranked through it all but it provides a small incentive for the silent approach. Multiplayer games are also present and powered by Gamespy. They add some longevity to the title but I found the levels a little too large for my taste and being sniped the whole time wasn't fun. Naturally something like Battlefield 1942 that is designed specifically for multiplayer gaming makes IGI's offering look all the more weaker.
I think the games real failing is it doesn't satisfy as either a great stealth game or a great action game. The result is a fairly decent but flawed piece of entertainment though. As I said at the start it is a crowded marketplace out there and a title like No One Lives Forever 2 can be vastly more entertaining and fun. If you've already bought that and played through most of the other titles out there IGI2 is worth a look. If you are unsure, the single player demo which was graciously released along side the game rather than months after it, gives you a very good taste of what the full product will bring. So is IGI 2 good? Yes and no. It is a mix of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
65%
Comments
Nice review. I liked the first game initially, but soon found it had a lot of faults. They've not done enough to fix them, IMO.
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hansraj
ranvhi
i like iGi very very will
THAKS FOR GAME
just waiting to finish this one
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14years i like game vary will
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IGI 2:covert strike
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lovely game full pack of action and guns
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superb