What is SiN?  

SiN is the product of Ritual Entertainment, the group of folks responsible for the Scourge of Armageddon mission pack for Quake1.  It's a first person shooter to the nth degree, with nearly everything completed with every attention to detail.  I strongly feel SiN is the best single player shooter to hit the market ever, and time will tell whether deathmatch will top id.  

Graphics  

The graphics in SiN aren't revolutionary, but they show what can be done with the current level of technology.  It's based on the Quake2 engine, but some levels make you wonder if it really could be...16 bit color, huge outdoor areas, detailed textures and lots of transparencies make this a visual treat.  The 'volumetric lighting' brushes are done well, and all the graphics work together to provide the game a great sense of atmosphere.  The fire effects are beautiful, rivaling even Unreal.  The models are especially great, with a high polygon count and imaginative design.  The weapon effects convey a sense of power behind them, especially the massive blasts of the energy weapons.  Blood splatters onto walls, leaving some areas drenched in gore after a good fight.  

Single Play Gameplay  

This is where SiN goes above and beyond anything I've seen.  The interactivity in the game matches and probably surpasses Duke Nukem 3D.  From computers you can hack into and alter, to toilets you can flush and showers you can turn on, to vehicles you can drive, to fights with helicopters, to missles you can launch, to video cameras to see what's ahead, the game is amazing.  Some of the levels reward stealth, while some of them are a hell-bent run to your goal.  The whole time the designers keep you moving in the right direction, but allow you choices and different paths.  The weapons are well designed, and well placed.  The level design is unmatched, with huge, believable, exciting environments.  There are some real twists to the plot, as well, which I won't spoil for you.  The cinematics, all done in the engine, keep the story moving and give you direction.  According to Ritual, it'll take 4 times to see everything in this game, and I believe it.  Some of the earlier reviews speak of events I never saw during my play-through of the game, so I believe them.  The atmosphere, action, and replayability make this THE single player game...Half-Life has it's work cut out. :)  

Deathmatch!  

Ahh, the good stuff.  And in SiN, it is good.  The deathmatch levels are simply amazing...one level is a complete oil rig, with the ability to climb up onto the highest tower and, in the same map, swim around below the tower.  And, if you really wanna have fun, you can go inside the rig and fight in the guts of the machinery.  Another level is a rolling subway, where you'll leap between and over cars, and a fall means death.  The weapons are well balanced, and the powerups are a blast.  Nothing beats grabbing some U4, transforming into a mutant, and jumping clear across a building to gut your opponent!  The running speed 'feels' a bit slower then Quake2 (though that may be because of the huge ass levels), but the weapons are quite a bit faster and combat is just as exciting.  The internet play is as good as or better then Quake2, and I think there are already more SiN servers up then Unreal servers.  The game comes with 14 deathmatch maps, with more maps and CTF coming in a patch soon.  An excellent buy if you're into gibbing your friends.  

Flaws  

The downside of the game is the huge load times in single player levels.  It can easily take 2-3 minutes to load a good sized level.  There are a few fixes, but nothing that really cuts down on this.  Gotta take the good with the bad, though, and that's the cost of the interactivity. (I suppose)  Currently, the Soundblaster Live only works with low quality sounds, but I don't have one, so I don't care.  Other then that, this is a great, high quality game.  

SiN is Good!  

Bottom line:  This is a really good game.  If you get this game, you will not be disappointed...the work that's gone into it is very obvious, and makes this game one of the best I've ever played.  Get it!

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