Gameplay

Controls

IGI is your standard FPS; as such, controls are pretty much standard - your usual fare of mouse and keyboard action. We had to reassign a few keys here and there, but nothing drastic. The only new attribute we saw was the addition of a ladder-climbing feature. You actually have to use a ladder, like an item, to go up or down it. Once on the ladder, the game shifts to a third person view, allowing you to see around your character. This helps in making sure that no baddie sneaks up on you while you're clambering up, as some of these ladders take quite some time to scale. Just in case something does happen, you can quickly slide down the ladder and open fire on your assailants. For obvious reasons, shooting while on the ladder is something the developers didn't want you to do.

Gonna be doin a lot of climbing

Snipesored

Play

It's time to get to the meat of the game - how it plays. Starting with the first level, you get a taste of what you're in for the rest of the game, or at least the style in which I played. IGI tried to go the NOLF path, making you sneak about, dodging cameras, avoiding security, and turning off alarms. Somewhere along the way, someone fell asleep on the dev computers. In IGI, you can shoot out security cameras; kill guards in front of each other unnoticed, pretty much do as you will across the levels. Oddly enough, even with the game being as easy it seems, you tend to die quite often, bringing up hosts of other problems.

Tag.	He thinks he's safe

If you are looking for a NOLF follow up, you will be sorely mistaken with this purchase. NOLF outclasses this game in every possibly way when it comes to stealthy movement, sneaky tactics, and general underhandedness. Firing one extra bullet in NOLF meant your doom. In Project IGI, you can empty an entire clip from an unsilenced AK47 into a base. Consequences? Nil.

I beg to differ.

Map action

AI

In describing the AI of Project IGI, a host of adjectives could be used; although, most aren't fit for publication or use in a family-oriented establishment. Settling on one publishable word would be prudent. Stupid - simple, benign, the word is thoroughly encompassing in its description. You can run up to enemies or shoot them from afar. Most of they time these lollygaggers do just one thing - stand. If they get hit, they fall over. Occasionally, they might try to run in your direction, but for the most part they "take it like a man" and stand tall, waiting for the final shot to put them out of their witless minds.

What a view

Ooops... was that me?

A buddy of mine stood in front of the enemy, nose to nose, for a full six seconds before the guard reacted. To be dumber, these guards would have to have no programming whatsoever, their intelligence ranking somewhere between a microwave oven and primordial ooze. With the AI so stupid, charging in and doing your business Rambo-style sometimes made more sense. Although sniping from afar was by far the best option, because of the marked lack of health in the game, that and the overwhelming fear that you would have to play that god-forsaken level over again.