This game has a lot going against it.  If the mass media gets a hold of this game like they did GTA3, there will no doubt be a collective outcry from parents groups, conservatives and other general naysayers with a microphone and an opinion.  Unfortunately, I don't think this game is good enough to warrant that kind of attention.
Like a lot of people, I was really looking forward to this game.  While I don't own GTA3 (I'm waiting for the Xbox version) I have lots of friends who do, and I have to admit it's a fantastic game.  It's huge open-ended, versatile and has that nihilistic charm that truly makes it a guilty pleasure.  Unfortunately, SoE, has all the nihilism and little of the charm.
Everyone has wanted to fight the power and stick it to the man at least once in their lives, and for that primal urge, this game does provide a welcome catharsis.  It is fun to run around in Chaos mode with wild abandon, beating people down, smashing windows and blowing stuff up, but eventually you have to take in the fact that the graphics are really shoddy (I'm assuming with the huge crowd constantly in circulation, the developers had to sacrifice quality) and the gameplay is really monotonous.  I have to say the biggest flaw of all is the lack of multiplayer.  This could have really been a saving grace for the game.  The whole idea of mob mentality is COMPLETELY LOST in a single player game. It seems so obvious to me that I have to wonder what the developers were thinking.  It's the difference between anarchy and stupidity.
Also, I hate to sound like one of the groups I was kind of shelling earlier, but the mindless violence concept of this game seems a lot less fun in a post-911 world. I'm definitely an anti-censorship kinda guy, but anyone buying this game for their young kid should question their skills as a parent. It's made for mature audiences and only us old guys need apply (though once you start playing the game I doubt you'll feel very "mature")  I think I would have enjoyed this game much better a year ago.
I also might have liked this game better as a rental, but lack of a rental outlet where I live means I get burned more than I'd lke to admit. If you can rent this game and feel the absolute need to satisfy your curiosity RENT, DON'T BUY.  Take that one piece of advice above anything else I've written here.  If you find that it's a must own, then you can go shell out your $ with perfect confidence.
This game has a lot going against it. If the mass media gets a hold of this game like they did GTA3, there will no doubt be a collective outcry from parents groups, conservatives and other general naysayers with a microphone and an opinion. Unfortunately, I don't think this game is good enough to warrant that kind of attention. Like a lot of people, I was really looking forward to this game. While I don't own GTA3 (I'm waiting for the Xbox version) I have lots of friends who do, and I have to admit it's a fantastic game. It's huge open-ended, versatile and has that nihilistic charm that truly makes it a guilty pleasure. Unfortunately, SoE, has all the nihilism and little of the charm. Everyone has wanted to fight the power and stick it to the man at least once in their lives, and for that primal urge, this game does provide a welcome catharsis. It is fun to run around in Chaos mode with wild abandon, beating people down, smashing windows and blowing stuff up, but eventually you have to take in the fact that the graphics are really shoddy (I'm assuming with the huge crowd constantly in circulation, the developers had to sacrifice quality) and the gameplay is really monotonous. I have to say the biggest flaw of all is the lack of multiplayer. This could have really been a saving grace for the game. The whole idea of mob mentality is COMPLETELY LOST in a single player game. It seems so obvious to me that I have to wonder what the developers were thinking. It's the difference between anarchy and stupidity. Also, I hate to sound like one of the groups I was kind of shelling earlier, but the mindless violence concept of this game seems a lot less fun in a post-911 world. I'm definitely an anti-censorship kinda guy, but anyone buying this game for their young kid should question their skills as a parent. It's made for mature audiences and only us old guys need apply (though once you start playing the game I doubt you'll feel very "mature")  I think I would have enjoyed this game much better a year ago. I also might have liked this game better as a rental, but lack of a rental outlet where I live means I get burned more than I'd lke to admit. If you can rent this game and feel the absolute need to satisfy your curiosity RENT, DON'T BUY. Take that one piece of advice above anything else I've written here. If you find that it's a must own, then you can go shell out your $ with perfect confidence.