The controls should be familiar to anyone who s played earlier installments in the series, or any N64 FPS for that matter. Movement on catwalks is still a bit touchy, however, and the point-blank targeting system could still use some tweaking. On the plus side, there are a few subtle differences between the two main characters. Danielle is armed with an energy grapple that allows her to swing to certain waypoints, while Joseph s night vision goggles and smaller frame give him access to nooks and crannies unavailable to his sister. In addition, each character has a unique set of upgrades to each standard weapon.
Old favorites are back in the armory too, such as the cerebral bore.
While these new features are integrated smoothly into the game, they re not exactly, if you pardon the pun, killer apps for FPS enthusiasts. The developers have clearly paid attention to several complaints from the fans, most evidently in terms of level design. For starters, players can save the game from any location. Second, levels have been subdivided into smaller episodes, which also serve as checkpoints in case gamers meet an early demise. These additions make the single player mode more accessible for those who only have the time to tackle campaigns in bits rather than chunks.