IGI 2: Covert Strike

Pros

• Offers both multiplayer and single player
• Generous variety of stealth-oriented tools
• Smart and highly aggressive A.I.

Cons

• Stealth sections sometimes feel forced
• Graphics are starting to show their age

IGI 2: Covert Strike mixes the traditional elements of a first person shooter with stealth gameplay and complex scenarios that force the player to think tactically about their actions. While many modern action games like to fold stealth elements in haphazardly and without a lot of thought, the stealth component is tightly tied in to the experience here. Your character can shift between prone, crouching, and standing modes with each one having a dramatic effect on how easy it is for opponents to spot you and how quickly you can move. Since being spotted means that the enemy will call in for reinforcements, you need to be strategic in how you dispatch the opposition. That said, there's plenty of leverage here to accommodate both sneakier players and those who prefer a run and gun approach.

The story of IGI 2 is grounded in real world geopolitics. You take on the role of David Jones, a secret agent working for the Institute for Geotactical Intelligence. Your goal is to stop a rogue Chinese general from getting his hands on EMP weaponry that could potentially destabilize the delicate balance of international relations. While the story itself is fairly boilerplate, it provides an ample excuse for carving your way through dozens of enemy soldiers and offers a meaty selection of 19 missions over the course of the world spanning plot. The developers even brought in a retired SAS operative to ensure that the operations you engage in feel as real as possible.

This isn't an open world game, but the developers give the player plenty of opportunities to experiment with their play style and a decent amount of motivation to keep coming back after the first play through. While you can carve your way through the opposition with nothing but guns and a quick trigger finger, players are scored at the end of every level. A quieter approach yields better results, and you have a ton of tools at your disposal to execute the strategy that seems right to you. These include lock picks, safe crackers, and remote explosives. And there are plenty of chances to avoid massive firefights with scores of opponents by finding the smartest and most stealthy route through a map.

But players would be missing out by avoiding fights entirely. The gun play here is tight, but the maps are especially impressive. Where many shooters push you through tight corridors with meticulously planned encounters, IGI 2 makes use of wide open environments with complex groups of opponents. The use of cover as well as of vertical and horizontal space creates a really grand and evocative experience, and that extends to multiplayer as well. These wide open maps create a sense of unique identity in a competitive experience that otherwise closely resembles Counter-Strike.

Pros

• Offers both multiplayer and single player
• Generous variety of stealth-oriented tools
• Smart and highly aggressive A.I.

Cons

• Stealth sections sometimes feel forced
• Graphics are starting to show their age