There is an innate problem with stealth-shooters in that the line between success and failure is extremely thin. We like stealth in games. It makes a change from the monotonous repetition that comes with blasting endless monsters in drab corridors but unfortunately when the line is crossed and the game becomes just too damn hard then frustration quickly sets in. Where’s the fun in playing a game that for the most part sees you running away from enemies and endlessly hitting the re-load key? The original Project IGI got the balance bang on and whilst being a rather tough game to get through the nature of the game made it addictive rather than frustrating. So we should be looking forward, in that case, to the sequel, right? Err, well no, not really.
The sequel sees the return of ex-SAS supremo Dave Jones (the Wolves boss?) who you must take charge of in order to successfully guide him through some 19 missions taking you from Russia through Libya and finally China. The story revolves around some stolen computer chips, which need to be re-located into safe hands and thus sees you infiltrating base after base in search of these elusive chips.
As before you have a wide range of weaponry to help you complete your task as well as your rather handy Map Computer that helps point out where enemy patrols are. This is a vital tool in the game as success depends on staying undetected for as long as humanly possible.
The original Project IGI came out way back in the year 2000 so as you’d expect this version is a marked improvement on that technically which I’m sure makes it seem all the more odd that we didn’t really like IGI2 so much. The enemy AI is much better and the locations more varied, new weapons and you’re even given a full multiplayer mode to play around with this time. Thankfully, you’re even allowed to save the game during a level so surely the developers have fixed pretty much everything that was wrong with the original?
Well, unfortunately, problems still remain. The graphics are great when you’re outside on the top of some huge mountain and the impressively rendered landscapes are vast and detailed yet as with the original when you get inside a base the corridors are boring and lifeless and basically empty. Whilst your enemies are cleverer than before their animations are about as convincing as a Geri Halliwell cameo appearance.
However, the main problem lies in the fact that time’s moved on. What felt fresh and original three years ago now feels dated and left behind. There have been a number of titles that have improved on the formula the most recent of which were the stealth sections in No One Lives Forever 2, which were cracking.
It seems as though the developers spent so much time looking at what was wrong with their own game that they neglected to notice the others that had over-taken them. Whilst IGI 2 is undoubtedly an improvement over the original it doesn’t do enough to warrant shelling out another 35 quid. It many ways it feels more like an expansion pack than a brand-new sequel and as such receives a much lower score than the original did.
Better, but not by enough
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