This game definitely had its moments of infuriation for me but it's overall one of the most fun and immersive games I've ever played.

The shooting in this game is awful, and half of the bosses made me want to pull hairs. Many gameplay aspects and overall difficulty of the game definitely hasn't aged well, though I do think part of it may just be control issues on the port which is not necessarily the game's fault.

Besides that, though, the story is immaculate. The writing is on-point. Each character has vivid personalities and dialogue that cuts deep. I love all the cutscenes in this game, they're all very cinematic. All the enemies and their backstories are very interesting and added much more depth to the story. I also thoroughly enjoyed the stealth aspects of this game. Being able to slink around the various rooms and hallways in the top-down style was beautiful game design. And while the combat system itself wasn't great, the act of successfully killing an enemy, boss, or just blowing something up, was very fun and rewarding when it went off right.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who's okay with playing older school games, though a huge warning that yes, it is frustratingly difficult, partly due to the controls but also partly due to your average game being more difficult back then than what is standard today. I'd recommend playing on Easy mode if you don't want to deal with too much annoyance on that front.

Oh yeah, don't be afraid to use a guide, too. I wouldn't have been able to beat the game without one.