Whereas the original SF sported a stalwart game engine somewhat innovative for its time, Eidetic mistakenly believed that this same engine would suffice a second time around with only minor tweaking. After only a few minutes of playing, the game engine's flaws become readily apparent. For instance, while the character models for the main characters and enemies are detailed and animate smoothly, their surroundings often looked bland and rather coarse for a title this late in the PlayStation s life cycle. I often found myself lost because there were few discernable landmarks to use as aids as I plotted routes through the terrain. And when indoors, it was surprising how similar hallways and buildings looked to one another, which further added to confusion.
Control is another part of the game that remains unchanged.
A technique familiar to SF is locking onto enemies and running around them to gun them down before they can land a shot. Sometimes on the losing end of a firefight, I would head down a hallway or passageway only to run smack dab into the wall. This could simply be the result of the third-person perspective not allowing enough leeway to allow me to see where I need to go, but it also has to do with Gabe s running style. When Gabe is in his haul-ass trot, he does not turn corners sharply at all, but rather with a slow arching movement. This is fine in wide-open areas, but is not nearly as effective when in close quarters.