I can play Fallout 3 on my system without issue, yet Cryostasis runs “like an exploded dog” regardless of what PhysX drivers I happen to load, on my quad core with 8 GB of RAM.

For those without patience, the shortest version of what I am about to write here goes something like this: Cryostasis is the kind of game that gives hope in an industry where even “critics” seem to forget about substance, content, story and the way that story is told relevant to its respective interactive medium(i.e. a pc game).

It’s an industry where high budget games have becomed as stupid and redundant as high budget Hollywood movies – bland story, stereotipical scenes, characters lacking complex development (when they try to create a more intricate human beeing it just falls unbeleviebly short, usually a simplistic good/evil or wrong/correct pattern is offered <> ). After playing the game I was eager and curious to see how it was received by certain sites and magazines (magazines received it much better, probably because they are required to have a more serious opinion and to have some writing talent). The results were saddening, saddening because the average normal guy, trying to get a clear picture before buying a game, looks upon these judgements as valid information. If the making of such games is denounced then developers will cease from even trying.

You should try not to give a “verdict” until you finish, it’s the basical requirement for a “verdict”. A verdict is an act of judgement – you can’t judge your subject matter if you don’ t fully encompass it. So your title is, athough the standard for your reviews, just …ilogic.

Cons:
>Yes – it’s quite obvious that the game developers really hit the fan with the graphic engine, this problem is especially obvious because they bragged about it(the most common mistake made by developers). I must admit I would have gladly played it on 800X600 and shader model 2.0. I certainly don’t think the game is not playable, I have a less than mediocre rig, and through some tunning of the video card settings I was eventually able to play with resolutions higher than 1024 and full details and effects (depending on the scene, I noticed I could even run on 1280).
>It is true that they could have played a little more with the Mental Echo system, to disguise it as a not so linear one and to solve more complicated problems with it than just removig obstacles and minor treats.

Pros:
>The level design was almost perfect. Why? – I must be an idiot, because the occasions where I could figure out in advance where the enemy will come from are relatively few(and I’ve been playing shooters nearly all my life now); it makes me ask why you were’nt able to finish the game as long as you were able to figure out all the oncoming enemies, are you sure about that lazy design?; -the so called boring spaces(which I did’nt find boring at all because of the guess what: design) look so much alike on the surface because surprise surprise: we’re talking about a ship, an ice breaker in the middle of nowhere! there would be no sense in pretty sun rays, green (lame already) foliage and bright shiny colors, the purpose of the game is to put you in a claustrofobic space in order to experience the ship as the crew did, to induce a state o solitude and utter frustration(which I think would be normal in the portrayed environment); the spider demon(or whatever) introduction is brilliant.
>The difficulty. Why? – I’m sick and tired of games where I magically land upon tons of weapons sooner or later, and I single handedly manage somehow to beat 1 million enemies and save the world; I want to save the world in the most difficult manner possible, heck! it certainly should not be a fun walk in the park; when this is realised fighting just a few but intense enemies, when this is realised with extremely poor outdated weapons(which have perfect sense to be on the ship given the conditions) and when the enemies have a twisted and imaginative reason then, and only then, the “heroic” actions become almost believable in the game universe (almost).
>The Echo Mental ability.
>The story and the way the story is presented.
>The ending. It’s a wonderfully crafted ending, both in terms of gameplay and meaning.
>Even the credits (they are practically the evidence of the mind f…ing abilities owned by the game designers).