Alekhine's Gun

While not a complete disaster, this violent action game -- which borrows heavily from the Hitman series -- isn't worth your time, effort, or money. For one, the artificial intelligence (AI) is anything but intelligent. While the enemy soldiers will take aim after you're detected, all you have to do is simply hide behind a wall and you'll be soon forgotten; plus, guards patrol in a predictable pattern, which you can easily exploit. This hurts the all-important immersion factor by reminding you it's just a game -- and one that isn't quite finished yet. There are other bugs, too, such as one that might get you stuck in an object, obscure the camera when you get too close to a wall or have the soldiers all animate the same way (eerily, all at the same time). Sloppy controls also break the suspension of disbelief.

The PC version even resulted in system freezes during review or complete crashes to the desktop. On a related note, the graphics -- including the character models, environments, and special effects -- are very behind the times. Subpar graphics and animation won't hurt a smartly designed and executed game as much as one might think, but Alekhine's Gun falters in many other areas: Characters are bland and one-dimensional. Voice acting is weak. Levels are large, yes, but this design doesn't play into the story line or missions as well as it could (the way it does in Grand Theft Auto games). While the time frame and story line are a little interesting, the gameplay, production quality (or lack thereof), and overall value proposition (including replayability) are all lacking here. Perhaps with more time and better tools to create this game, Alekhine's Gun wont be as broken as it is.