this is obviously a huge departure from previous games, less of a stealth game and more of a cover shooter with melee takedowns, of the vein that would soon be popularized by the last of us. but, judging this on its own merits, it's pretty solid!

i really like the visual style. light and color feel threatening, if you see color that means you need to shoot something to get back to the safety of black-and-white. the aggressive auto hdr on series x really enhances this aspect, because the lights are so blindingly bright that i felt compelled to shoot them even if i didn't really need to.

the "immersive hud" does feel a lot more dramatic that having text on the upper left corner, and the cover-to-cover movement markers are probably the best of any cover shooter, allowing for easy diagonal movement.

unlike a lot of these "semi-stealth" games, the gadgets actually feel useful, and the encounters are designed for them. cover shooting is all about "getting into a good position", and the mark and execute system slides perfectly into that, because the game becomes about choosing your marks and carefully finding the best position to take them all out at once.

the game is pleasantly short, but there are still pacing-killers like the interrogations, which get old before the first one is even over, and the instantly forgettable storyline. i understand that the shakycam is trying to capture sam's anger and frustration, but it's excessive to the point of comedy. the only time sam's character is effectively communicated is when he gets so pissed off that he gets infinite free mark and execute.