Installation and Setup

Thresh's comments in BLACK

After installing and patching Sin, I was ready to kick some ass. I remember what impressed me most about Sin when I first saw the demo was the introduction scene with the helicopter and the reality-based environment -- I was eagerly anticipating more of the same jazziness in the retail version. The storyline goes a lil' something like this:

In the year 2027, the city of Freeport was on the verge of collapse. Crime and drug-lords have gained the upper hand against the city police force, and the over-burdened government didn't have the money or power to fight back. To prevent total chaos and anarchy within the city of Freeport, the government passed a bill allowing individual corporations to form their own private security forces, named sec-forces.

Many sec-forces were formed, but one stood out amongst the rest, leading the way in crime prevention and elimination. Its name: HARDCORPS. Having seen his father and uncle both fall victims to the violence on the streets when he was a mere lad, John Blade vowed he would avenge them. Thus, he founded HARDCORPS, and leads it in the sole purpose of bringing peace and order back to the city. You are John Blade.

At the start of the game, you'll find yourself en route to a bank robbery in progress - And so your journey begins…

Come Get Some!

Within the first hour of playing Sin, something became really clear to me: Sin is to Quake II what Duke Nukem was to Doom II… or at least that's what Ritual is hoping for. Realistically speaking, it would be hard for Sin to be as great a phenomenon as Duke was. Even sportin' more interactive elements, a myriad of innovative features and levels, and a blunt sense of humor to boot, Sin is after all only a successor, rather than a creator of the Duke-esque first-person shooter. Can it even be considered a successor, given that Duke Nukem Forever is only just around the corner? Enough chitchat, let's take a looksee at Ritual's crown jewel.

The rail shooter redefined