Some quick impressions. I'll start with the negative:
I don't like the combat. In fact, I think I'd be perfectly happy just wandering around. I got bored with the demo when I ended up in a spot that seemed to have constantly spawning enemies.. I'd kill two or three, then two or three more show up... and again, and again.. I must have killed over a dozen people in that same area, and they just kept on coming.
The AI's reaction to getting shot could be better. Yeah, they react to the location of the hit.. jerk back from an arm shot, limp off to cover for a leg shot, etc. But they don't die when I shoot them in the head. Wazzup wit dat?
For some reason, every time I went into melee combat, the camera would move around to put a nice big tree or bush in between itself and the action.
Now, the good things:
Voice acting. Very nice to have actors who actually
act their parts instead of just reading the lines off a piece of paper. And, as mentioned above, the little "oh boy" moments when a grenade comes in, etc. And that they're not afraid to let a little cussing slip by. While I'm not a fan of gratuitous cursing, I also don't like to see them intentionally censor cursing (i.e. "gosh darnit").
Controls: I actually like the controls. Responsive and, for the most part, intuitive. Could use a little work on the aiming during combat.
Animation: Very impressed. I like that we finally have a character who can't jump any higher or further than a normal everyday human. I like how he scrambles around when doing various things. The only "off" thing I noticed was when you do short movements.. for example, you take a single step forward, and when you release the stick, he
jerks to a stop as though he's just been running instead of leisurely walking. A couple of "WIP glitches" here and there, but nothing that probably won't be fixed.
Graphics: OMFG. That's all I can say. One of the best-looking games I've played, period.
All in all, despite my gripes about the combat, I give the demo two thumbs up. I don't know when I'll get around to buying the game, but I think it's safe to say that it's on my list now, up at the top, just behind Assassin's Creed.
Also a very nice touch with the water effect and how main character's clothes would get wet when he goes in the water. Also the little touches like his shirt wrinkling when he walks. I love the little things!
