Played 25 minutes, paused it for you, GAF. You best appreciate this...
First off, for those with surround systems, full DTS support! I don't have a big time system (home theater in a box Pioneer unit), but the mix is
excellent. Music is very orchestral, really sets the mood, from the menu screens on.
Once you configure your options (Alt 2 control scheme with toggle off FTW) your off for the demo. It's made up of the infamous landing sequence that we've all seen a million times on Medium difficulty (only one possible).
The graphics. So yeah, wow. I'm on a Panasonic 700U plasma and it's safe to say that this game will dominate set-up/screenshot threads the way Uncharted and Gears 1 did...
Control has some real weight to it, using Alt 2, feels like Cod4 but just a little slower. Cover mechanic is really intuitive and popping in and out of cover gives the game a real Gears as an FPS vibe. Really fun, no problems with the controls, but I'm not that heavy of an FPS player to begin with so perhaps its easier for me to adjust...
Back to the graphics for a moment. The special effects GG added really give the title the extra leg up from other shooters I've played. Think of the effects we saw in MSG4 in Act I where the dust gathered on screen, then slowly fell to the ground. KZ has that level of effect intricacy. Lens flare, losing focus after a blast nearby, dust from the grey mud around. Great stuff. Animations are really slick, great mo-cap.
Also, crank your Sub up to 11 for this one folks, I can't get over how solid the audio mix is. CoD4 had my favorite FPS mix up to this point, but I think this supplants it. The V/A is ok, nothing to write home about, but I'd say its Gears level of corniness and frat humor. Once again, great orchestral music during gameplay as well. Has a real Star Wars (the original ones, not Hayden-ified SW) feel to it.
One last thing, the load screens are really something. You use sixaxis to move the screen in a 3-D manner. Its a fun little diversion similar to MGS' smoking Snake during Act installations. Looks slick.
There's been a lot of "just another shooter" talk going around, and they're right. This is a shooter right on equal footing with CoD4 and Halo 3 because those are the other FPS' I play. It's the little touches that made those games stand out and this game has those touches in spades.
Just a damn good gaming experience so far.