Project: Snowblind

Since Project: Snowblind's development began, its connection to the Deus Ex series has been severed. Luckily, it's standing on its own merits and shaping up to be a pretty killer first person shooter.

Originally conceived as a spinoff of the Deus Ex series, Project: Snowblind is Crystal Dynamics's (the Legacy of Kain series) first foray into the first-person-shooter playing field. Since development began, Snowblind's connection to Deus Ex have been severed, leaving the game to stand on its own merits rather than rely on the franchise's name to carry it. Luckily, it's shaping up to be a killer offering that's most notable for its tasty assortment of unique weapons, multipath and destructible urban environments, and nano-enhanced super powers.

My Eyes Are Blind, But I Can See

Struggling alongside freedom-fighting NPCs against oppressive Republic forces in a near-future Hong Kong, you play as a soldier who has undergone a series of biological augmentations that essentially turn you into a one-man army. Of course, you're armed with a cornucopia of deadly weapons, all of which have the genre-requisite primary and secondary fire. Shotguns also fire sticky bombs, assault rifles let loose bouncing grenade volleys, and flechette rifles unleash swarms of tiny drones that chase enemies up stairs and around corners. You also have a slew of paranormal abilities--courtesy of nano-engineering--that enable you to recover from incapacitation, toss force fields around your body, see through solid matter, and even slow down time enough to sidestep inrushing bullets. In the game, you can also pilot vehicles and hack into security systems to dismantle automatic turrets and cameras.

The Sun No Longer Sets Me Free

For the most part, Snowblind is graphically slick, though some of the texturing and animation can use some fine-tuning. The environments offer many paths, enabling you to find advantageous sniping positions, escape routes, or ways to sneak up on foes. Objects can be picked up and moved, which comes in handy if you want to block doorways with metal storage crates or hurl combustible tanks near enemies, then pump the tank full of lead until it blows them to kingdom come. Unfortunately, multiplayer wasn't available in the preview build, but at the game's release, up to 16 players will be able to have a shoot out at once.

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