Project I.G.I. 2

Written by Bart Skinner on 3/7/2003 for PC  

Project I.G.I 2 is the latest stealth FPS game from Codemasters. There seem to be a few of these out as of late such as Splinter Cell. These types of games are not supposed to be for the avid Quake gamer, running in guns blazing. They are for the strategist that uses the environment to sneak around and complete the objective either without being seen or eliminating their foe unseen.

The game gives you 19 single player levels taking place on three different continents. As agent David Jones, you start the game heading into Russia for an EMP weapon. As with most single player games each successful mission leads to more than it initially seems and body counts rise as you work your way to the finale.

When you start a mission, you get all the goodies from thermal goggles to high-powered binoculars. However you don’t get to pick from items as they are assigned to you start. One of the more helpful items is the GPS map that shows you a top down view of the area. The GPS map helps you plan the route of your mission as you gauge where the dangerous spots are and enemy whereabouts. With that in mind you don’t get to pick out your equipment ala Rainbow Six.

The guns are also good with the number of possible choices in the thirties. It’s quite a selection with a nice variety to choose from. You can only hold one weapon in conjunction with your pistol and knife. So you can’t kill enemies and pack 10+ guns on you as you try to stealthily accomplish your mission. Not only are there guns but a knife helps dispatch enemies quickly and quietly. And for those who like to use their bare hands, hitting the action button while you are behind an enemy will cause you to snap the person’s neck. Quiet and quick, this method allows you to kill an enemy without a sound.

There is also a noise bar showing how much clatter you are making whether you are crawling, kneeling, or standing. The noise bar helps gauge whether you are sneaking around silently or alerting any roaming enemy of your location.

The graphics seem ok but slightly dated. They remind me of Ghost Recon. They aren’t ground breaking but they aren’t that bad either. Character models are reasonable and are a minor improvement over the original. The renderings of the guns are top notch and they look quite realistic. For the environments, Innerloop has done a good job in giving you nice detailed environments that can be quite large. Especially well done are the water effects. Even with the good level graphics, there are graphical glitches that hinder the game’s look.

There is locational damage as one shot to the head drops a guy. If you want to use a silenced pistol make sure you are less than fifteen feet away as the accuracy of the gun is pretty bad if the distance is greater. A miss and the bad guys will let his friends know that bullets are whizzing by his head. Once that happens you might as well get ready for an onslaught of enemies coming to gun you down.
I have played a few of these games such as Hitman and Thief. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the most stealth guy around. I’m 6’5”, what do you expect. So I guess I don’t always think stealthy. However in Project I.G.I 2, I don’t think it matters. From what I can tell in this game, you don’t really have the option of hiding from your enemy for very long as they can hear gunshots pretty far away. Once they hear one, everyone seems to know where it came from. What I have always wanted to see is the AI guys hit the deck or take cover after a shot rings out, not run around like idiots waiting to get dropped. Though this would make the game a lot tougher, it would be a lot more realistic. The only way I was able to get past the 2nd mission and each mission after is to take a couple guys out, then take cover and put my crosshairs on a door I know the guys are coming out of, thanks to my thermal goggles. Exploiting the AI helped me through some parts of the game where the enemies can funnel into where you are stationed.

A multiplayer component is included in Project I.G.I. 2. Multiplayer games can consist of multiple objectives for each team. Like Counterstrike you are allocated an amount of funds to purchase equipment at the beginning of the round. Offing the opponent will reward you with more cash for better equipment options. Six levels are included and they are of good size.

To me this game was incredibly difficult, even on the easiest setting. As soon as one guy sees a dead body, or one camera gets shot out, alarms go off and everyone starts looking for you. Now if I had the option of dragging bodies, then I think I could have done a lot better. Unfortunately you are left with having a body drop and stay in the area you took it down in. Seeing as stealth is an important issue in the game, giving you the ability to hide the body would’ve helped immensely. With the above average graphics, exploitable AI, and difficult gameplay I give this uninspiring stealth shooter a 7. It’s more of a shooter than it is stealth game to me.