Episode 1 is apparently out and available.

http://www.sinepisodes.com

Not sure what to think yet. There's an HD trailer out (you can get it via the above website) and it looks kinda cool. Sorta. Maybe I'm a graphics snob. Anyway, just thought I'd mention it.

Personally, I'm still waiting for the freakin' HL2 expansion. WTF is taking them so long?

ok, I played this game...got a couple hours into it.

It sucks.

1. Graphics are ok. Some nice prettiness (like dust motes floating in the light), very clean looking textures and stuff. But like no shaders. No shinies. No realtime shadows. Hell, no shadows at all that I can see. Maybe I'm spoiled, but the HL2 engine is aging.

2. Gameplay...omg, repetitive. Mostly you run through the levels and kill stuff. Typically fps, but....

For the first few levels, you killed one guy. Over and over again. The badguy soldier guy with a helmet. They all look exactly the same. The same freakin clone, over and over again.

later in the game, they introduce 2 (TWO!!!) mutants. WOW.

Then they introduce a new soldier guy with a gun that kicks your ass.

Anyway, basically it's a brainless, repetitive shooter. The story is forgetable (at least where I'm at). The gameplay is repetitive. The enemies are boring. And you get to carry a grand total of 3 guns. A pistol, a submachine gun, and a shotgun. They all have an alt fire, plus you also get incendiary grenades which look kinda cool, but that's it.

This is episode 1 of SiN, presumably one of nine episodes that are coming out. They should have made it grab you and pull you into a deep story, making you gasp for. Instead, it makes me reach for oblivion. I really hope HL2 Episodes isn't this forgetable. As a result of this experience, though, I think I'll let someone else buy it first and tell me it doesn't suck.

This is the S.T.A.L.K.E.R syndrome

Stalker and Duke Nukem Forever should be available on the Phantom Game Console "soon".

Hehehe...I'll playtest HL2 for you...provided it doesn't get trashed in the reviews.

There was another one of those threads on a forum I saw recently, you know the "Duke Nukem Forever" is neally finished.

For any off you counting, Duke Nukem Forever shortens to DNF which in racing terms means Did Not Finish.

Just for the record: Sin: Episodes got a meagre 69% in my gaming mag, so they agree with you Satis. The conclusive pros and cons were:

pro

-adult look and feel
-simple shooting fun

con

-feels dated
-uninspired level design
-end frustratingly hard


It happens that Half-Life2: Episode 1 was also reviewed in the same mag. It got a better cut BUT the reviewer finished it in 4-5 hours. BAsically the idea was: "great game, improved HL2 gameplay but too short for a seasoned gamer". Score was 84%. Overall pros and cons

pros

-varied gameplay (physics etc perfected)
-extraordinary atmosphere

cons

-short
-a lot of questions remain unanswered (storyline question that is)

Mmm. Not a blazing start for the episode gaming, i'd say. Episode I will come relatively cheap over Steam, but i don't know, 4-5 hours...that's not a lot! I might still buy it after all. It's still HL2 and it's from Valve itself (HL1 expansions were outsourced, which resulted in one great and one pos expansion as you may know)...and I can't say I had as much fun in a shooter as I did in HL2 for a long time. Physics gun FTW. Oh, and now i get to play with HDR. I think I'm up for that.

yea, let me know how it is if you get it. Unless it gets REALLY good reviews, my experience with SiN has turned me off to Valve's episodic experiments.

Will do. Just checked on steam, and you can already buy Episode I on there...not that I have the funds, but I'll get saving.

EDIT: whoops, scratch that. It's "pre-load" and all. Damn misleading marketing!

Well...apparently Episode I is out after all. :p We'll see.

There's already a trailer for Episode 2 btw...

http://www.gamershell.com/download_14135.shtml