The game is definately a kind of quick and simple release... I feel Raven is putting their real effort into Singularity. The game doesn't have AA due to deffered lighting, but a DX10 exe would have solved that... they didn't bother (you can force SSAA though).
That said, it is a fun game and is polished in gameplay aspects... mouse control is spot-on, hub world is cool... it is worth playing for FPS and series fans, it's just not a very innovative or in-depth release.
The biggest and most accurate statement that you made is in the last sentence. Quote " It's just not a very innovative or in-depth release"
To me, this is just something for kids to do because they have nothing better. It is not, in my opinion, a very engageing game. It looks great but they wasted the great looks on shallow gameplay. Just my opinion. Mouse control is spot on as you have said. The story isn't bad either. It's the gameplay that I don't much like. You are either ganged up on by many enemies, or you face some super enemy. Either way it is run and gun, get them before they get you. I think that some stealth could have been worked into this without too much trouble. For me the game is not a thinking mans game. just follow the star and shoot everything. This is a low level game that plays on nice graphics and some nice effects. Yes, some of the physics are very cool but they wait on you. The bridge is about to collapse, but what if you are distracted with a firefight? It doesn't matter, the bridge collapse will wait on you. As far as I can tell, they are selling this game on gimmicks alone. They want to wow you but fail because aside from the effects there is no real game. This is just my opinion, some of you may love it. Sorry if I turned this thread into a rant.