SiN Review @ 3DGW

Sin is the first game based on the Quake2 engine that has been released, but the engine is modified a fair amount and everything is replaced from Quake2 - absolutely everything. When you don't have to write a game engine you can spend a lot more time on things like level design, sounds, and other graphics & models. Ritual's Sin doesn't feel like Quake2 hardly at all, in fact, it looks and feels like an entirely new game.

Background:
For once a first-person shooter has a plot that is also important to the game and the way it’s played. You play John Blade of Hardcorps with your guide J.C., Hardcorps’ resident hacker. Hardcorps is a private security agency, which has replaced the government-funded police in Freeport City. Lately people have been reportedly killed by mutated creatures which have been linked to SinTek Industries and their drug, Vanity, which is supposed to keep you looking young. You must plow through the evil streets of Freeport City and find clues about the recent incidents involving SinTek so more people will not become victim of Elexis Sinclaire and her greed.

Gameplay:
Aside from having the slight feel of playing Quake2 (the controls), Ritual has added something new to the Quake2 engine, the hit location system which give the game a lot more realism compared to Quake2. A hit location system is when a game engine understands that a bullet to the face will do more damage to a person than a bullet blast to his foot. Shoot them in the more "sensitive" area and you begin to feel their pain. This allows for different types and amounts of armor or protection for each part of the body (head, torso and legs).

Sin's levels are unlike most shoots in the respect that areas are populated with lush furnishings that make the enviroment more realistic. Everything from coke cans and pizza, actuall photograhs on the walls, computers that work on the desks all set the mood and show how excellently designed the levels are. You can even shoot the little buggers on the desks where they sit. The walls are often plastered with graffiti such as "Buy Sin, I need a Viper." Obviously one of Ritual's graphic designer got bored some day and threw in all of those little "Easter eggs."

Bringing up Sin’s interactivity again, you can go up to a computer, press the use key and it sends back a little noise. Seem pointless? Well attention to detail like this really enhances the game. In one situation you actually have to log into a computer and turn off the security doors and turn off a gun turret. Even hop into dos prompt and the commands work! Or how about jumping on a ATM and wiring large amounts of money to your bank account from Elexis’.

The weapons are nothing short of kick ass. Modeling and sounds were done very well. I don't want to spoil some of the awesome weapons but there are numerous chainguns/machine guns, explosive weapons, and a wicked sniper rifle. The sniper rifle can zoom in then you pick 'em off in the head and they die instantly. Pretty neat stuff.

Sin also brings back the long-missed "Use Button" which makes the levels a lot more interactive. Now you just don’t have to walk into a button like an unintelligent idiot, you have to use your brain a bit more and actually pull or push something with your hand. Interaction with "innocent bystanders" as JT calls them is also very excellent. Walk up to them and press the use key. Usually the Bums will say go away, but luckily you kept a few extra rounds in your shotgun and you can show them who their daddy is. Watch not to shoot the innocent ladies in the first level, instead press the use key and they will magically run away and thank you. Sadly sometimes they get caught in the crossfire and end up flat on their back. Hey, don’t let me catch you looking up their skirts!

Enemy AI is also improved over it’s rival, Quake2. Enemies dodge fire, duck when a rocket is heading smack dab into their face, or even run away and cry for mommy when they decide that their little gun is no match for your Chaingun with a few hundred rounds inside just waiting to pump a little lovin’ into their ass. Enemy AI does have it's quirks though and sometimes enemys do stupid things or act like they do not see you.

Graphics:
As you can see by the minimum system requirements above, this game requires some serious horsepower to run. On my system it ran fine in the highest detail settings at 800x600, but I realize that isn't everyone. So really look at your system and see if you could even enjoy Sin on it. High requirements = kick ass graphics. All the textures are nice, and the animation is superb. To see what I am talking about, take a peek at the 800x600 3Dfx screenshots below. Yes the graphics still look decent in software mode (no 3D card), but cannot compare to the 3D accelerated version.

Enemies are modeled and textured very realistically and the hit location system means that wherever you shoot the enemy, they bleed. Shoot them in the forehead, and a huge splatter of blood paints the wall as the enemy falls to the floor. Shoot them where the sun don’t shine and they scream. Hey, don’t get too carried away! The models like the in-game helicopters are awesome. Sin has virtually no limit on it's models so you can create very lifelike ones which enhances the game a lot.

Sin’s high resolution, high color textures really sharpen the games overall look. Theweapons are amazingly detailed and sometimes animated which shows extreme attention to detail. Death animations are usually always different and very fun to watch. On some occasions I would shoot an enemy on the stairs as he ran down and then he would tumble down the stairs in a somersault helplessly as his blood painted a picasso on the wall behind him (see screenshots).

Cinematics:
All of Sin’s movies or cinematics are done right within the game using Sin’s enhanced Quake2 engine. They are very well done, and someone at ritual obviously has the demo editing skills. They really give a good "in game" feeling of what is going on.

Sound:
Gunshots, Explosions, Screams, and guts, oh my! All of the weapon effects were well done and I can’t complain. There are enough variations of gunfire to satisfy most people. Sound effects usually fit in with the occasion. Baddies will call for help and state their position and people also talk to you, giving you tips. Be quiet and sometimes you will catch odd and interesting conversations between guards throughout the game. The voice acting is one of the most enjoyable parts of the game. Blade makes hilarious remarks after killing someone. Click here to hear a sample. If you're quiet you can also hear conversations between guards which are usually humorous. Haven't heard enough? Here's another sample. :) Is this the next Duke Nukem?

Ritual has replaced the typical CD Audio soundtrack with propriatary sound system which adds to the overall system overhead. The music is well done and really sets the mood, however a typicall CD Audio soundtrack would have allowed you to throw in your own CD and listen to Pantera while deathmatching. I particullary liked how in the deathmatch mousehole level the opera sounding music gave me the level the feeling of the fighting in the operahouse schene of the movie "The Fifth Element".

Multiplayer:
Quake2 plays excellent in deathmatch, and Sin is no exception. Quake2 went through months and months of multiplayer patches, but sin has the advantage of having Quake2’s latest netplay technology out of the box, which will minimize the amount of patches needed for Sin. You can play over a LAN, modem (yes! Finally it has been resurrected again), and of course, the Internet. The levels are designed with attention to both gameplay and detail. They’re even fun to run around in on your own. But we don’t do that, do we? *cough*. Rarely things are more satisfying then sniping off an opponent with your sniper rifle in the head. With online play becoming standard, Sin will easily jump on the bandwagon and house many deathmatches in the days to come. I can’t wait to see the user created maps and mods that spawn from Sin.

Conclusion:
Sin shows us what Quake2 could of been, and also shows us the creativeness (and dark side) of the Ritual team. All in all, Sin is incredibly fun to play and it is well worth your small investment. Why haven't I said anything bad about this game? Because it doesn't have any terrible faults. Ritual spent a lot of time and effort on this game and it shows everytime you play Sin. So if you have the system to play this game, you better go and get it, or at least try the demo because you don't know what your missing if you haven't played Sin. Overall this game deserves a 90%. So Sin bears the 3DGW Editors Choice award.