Project IGI: I'm Going In

"Kill or be killed in this revolutionary First Person Shooter!"

Project: IGI was created in the vain of games like 'Rainbow Six' and 'Rogue Spear' in that it is a tactical shooter. You can leave your 733+ Quake skills at the door here folks, because they will get you killed. Every action must be planned, as a single mistake could put a bullet through your brain.
That's right, you must plan an attack before you initiate it. Running in and shooting at every enemy will get you killed in no time, for this is a game where one hit kills! As a result of this Project: IGI happens to be a hard game, and to compound this is the lack of an in-game save feature. That's right, the developers felt that there was no need for you to save in-game, and as a result the missions become very tense. Such as when your down to your last Glock bullet, creeping through an enemy infested base. Slip up, and you die, having to restart the level again. Sounds frustrating right? Well, it can be, especially when you are hit by an enemy just out of sight. There is also too much of a reliance on sniping enemies from afar, which does take away from the enjoyment a fair bit.

Graphically, Project: IGI looks amazing. The terrain stretches as far as the eye can see, with rolling mountains in the background. The gun models all appear to be accurately modelled, and feel powerful. The SPAS12 shotgun for instance really packs a punch, you can literally feel the feedback each time you pump a round into the nearest target. The only problem is that all this comes at a price. You will need a fairly good computer to truly enjoy the graphics. Sure, your old Pentium 3 will run the game, but it won't run it well. To truly appreciate the amazing detail and terrain you will want at least a GeForce video card, and a P3 600MHZ or above.

The sounds truly add another dimension to the game, adding immensely to the atmosphere. The sound of the guns as you fire them is truly amazing, and they really give off a mighty punch. The music sufficiently compliments the rest of the sound, and never gets too obtrusive. And lastly, the voice acting is just great, the characters emotions are well expressed. No complaints here!

Gameplay in Project: IGI is something quite different. As explained above, one hit kills. The missions are varied, and towards the end of the game get truly challenging, requiring careful planning, and much intense studying of the mini-map. Successfully attacking an enemy base and not taking a single hit is truly rewarding, but unfortunately, there is a down side to all this. The lack of an in-game save feature means that you can get right to the end of a level, only to die, and then have to go through all of it again. This soon leads to frustration, as you attempt the level again and again. Thankfully though, careful planning will usually get you out of any tough situations, and with a little thought even the toughest of levels can be completed.
Speaking of which, there is a good variety on missions, some involving infiltration, hostage rescuing... and so much more. Levels usually have more than one objective that requires completion, and some of these can be quite challenging.

Overall, Project: IGI is a great tactical shooter, but if you get frustrated easily, or dislike slower paced games then it is not for you. Go back to Quake or Unreal Tournament, all those others, give it a shot, who knows, you may just like it!

Graphics: 9 Truly amazing, huge maps, detailed terrain, excellent animation, but you will want a half-decent PC to get the most from the graphics.
Sound: 10 Excellent gun noises, great voice acting, and great music. Truly adds to the atmosphere.
Gameplay: 8 A lack of an in-game save feature is an annoyance, but it does add immensely to the atmosphere, when you know you have a lot to lose from even a small mistake.
Longetivity: 5 Levels can be played back over at any time, but once you complete it, you won't really feel the need.
Overall: 8 Limited in many ways, and buggy running on Windows XP, but still great fun, and worth a try for tactical shooter fans.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/23/02, Updated 08/23/02