By:
Post Linear

As a first person shooter, Post Linear's Vigilance seems to have it all; over 30 weapons, a host of playable characters, multiple camera angles, large levels courtesy of a brand new 3D engine and even free access to Heat.net's multiplayer rooms. However in the face of a genre filled with the likes of Half-Life, SiN and Trespasser, Vigilance falls short of being a viable contender for your checkbooks this Christmas season.

Admittedly, the playing field for this genre has been changed. Valve's Half-Life has forever altered the way gamers will look at a first person shooter. The bar has been raised, expectations have been heightened and the yardsticks have moved forward. Half-Life delivers a gaming experience in an unprecedented fashion, yet its formula for success is simple. By melding a slew of functional gameplay mechanics, it accomplished what few, rather, none have in the past; the depth, the heightened sense of awareness, the sheer thrill and captivating illusion that you, the player, are actually within Half-Life's world, running away from strange aliens and trained marines, struggling to stay alive… the feel of actually being there… to put it succinctly, it's unparalleled. Anything less is simply unacceptable. Granted this generalization is unfair to developers, as not every company has the deep wallets of Valve, and not every publisher has the patience of Sierra.

Although editorial integrity compels us to grade objectively, we don't live in a vacuum. We'll allow a game to stand on its own merits, but subconsciously we're as tainted as Jack-in-the-Box meat. And so coming off of Half-Life's euphoric high, we find ourselves crashing down to Vigilance's bleak mediocrity and awkward gameplay. Let's take a look at why Post Linear's latest won't go down in the annals of gaming history.