Sin

• Platform: IBM PC Compatible
• Release Date: November 20, 1998
• Genre: Shooter
• Style: First-Person Shooter
• Similar Games: Duke Nukem 3D (IBM PC Compatible), Quake II (IBM PC Compatible), Shogo: Mobile Armor Division (IBM PC Compatible), Wages of Sin (IBM PC Compatible)

Game Description

Why must there always be someone who lusts to take over the world? Elexis Sinclaire, CEO of the SinTek corporation has invented a new drug called U4. The effect of U4 leaves little to be desired; it actually alters the DNA of the person who is injected with it. They mutate into horrific monsters and unfortunately, they are under Sinclaire's control. She will use this to her advantage to build an entire army of these freaks and monsters in order to carry out her world domination plans.

The question is who is going to stop her? The private protection agency of Freeport is going to try. This agency is composed of J.C., a wiz-kid hacker and Colonel John R. Blade, a crime fighter. You, as Blade, must take to the streets and stop Sinclaire's minions from taking over the world and ultimately destroy the existence of the U4 drug.

Using a souped-up version of the Quake II engine, Sin is a first-person shooter. As Blade, you'll have to carry out various missions such as stopping a bank-heist and tasks that require you to remain unseen (stealth missions). Each mission wraps itself around a very detailed and complex storyline complete with cut scenes and voice acting. Your quest will be a challenge as Sinclaire's followers will come at you in swarms. Fortunately, you are supplied with a decent weapons arsenal consisting of rocket launchers, machine guns and spider mines.

Roots & Influences

Sin uses a souped-up version of the Quake II engine. So naturally, there are lots of little things in SiN that resemble Quake II. Level progression and the mission styled gameplay are very similar to the latter and the general, overall feel remains unchanged. But Ritual improved the overall look of the engine and pushed it to it's limits with graphical enhancements. They also tightened up the AI quite a bit and they envoked "real life" damage. This simply means you could kill an enemy in one hit if you shot him in the head or you could cripple him by shooting him in the knee.

Review: Overall

Sin had been stirring up a wealth of interest in the first-person shooter community prior to its full release. Not only is it using a highly advanced version of the Quake II engine, but it is made by a team of map designers and developers famous for their various Quake and Quake II modifications and mission packs. Could the game actually live up to the hype and reputation that had been building up for quite some time? I am pleased to announce that the answer is a resounding yes.

Like Shogo: Mobile Armor Division, Sin features a complex storyline that wraps itself around various missions in an amazing single player experience. Your basic goal is to track down and stop the organization responsible for distributing an illegal and deadly DNA virus. After the completion of every mission, the storyline is advanced and mysteries are revealed. In one level, for example, you find a body who has been injected with the virus. You'll then witness a cut-scene about the body, which leads to your going on a mission to find out where it came from.

The game really progresses nicely and every mission is different. You'll have to stop a bank robbery in one and break into a laboratory and steal information in another. Each mission also features fantastic level designs. One level comes to mind where you must hop from building to building, giving chase to an old foe of your characters'. In fact, the gaming environment is so real that its almost frightening; there's bums warming their hands over open fires, rats that bite you and broken pipes that swing back and forth.

This brings up another point -- the detail. The most noticeable thing is the enemy artificial intelligence and the real damage effects. This means you could shoot a bad guy in the head and take him out in one shot. Or you may decide to shoot him in the leg, which would make your enemy fall to the ground and hamper his movement.

To make things even more enjoyable, you're supplied with a decent arsenal of weapons. Your default weapon is a pistol, or you can use your fists. There are a wide variety of machine guns and assault rifles, rocket launchers and plasma/lighting guns. And because the weapons are good, playing Sin online is very fun. Unlike a lot of the newer first-person shooters coming out nowadays, it features some really good Internet support (it is using the Quake II engine, after all). The latency and multi-player code is solid and rarely did I find a game that was choppy or lagged.

The only thing I didn't care for is the fact that it's difficult to tell when you've been shot. There is no screen flash or red lighting that appears when you've been hit. Your character merely grunts out in pain, which is often covered up by enemy screams or gunfire. Also, at times you can literally get stuck on a desk or a wall (you'll have to use the no clip code to get yourself unstuck).

Still, Sin is a very solid game. If you are a first-person shooter fan, Sin won't disappoint. It's got a great single player game with an intriguing storyline, good online support and lots of wit and style.

Review: Enjoyment

Whether you're playing the single player game or playing it online, Sin is a very enjoyable game. The level design is fantastic, the missions are exciting and the online support is fantastic. The storyline is also surprisingly good.

Review: Graphics

The textures are colorful, realistic and very detailed. Characters and enemies are animated very nicely and look great. There's also some really good movie sequences that help move the story along. Unfortunately, the enemies' looks can get a bit repetitive sometimes.

Review: Sound

Music consists of a mostly industrial themed soundtrack (very cool) and the sound effects are great. There is also some voice acting to add personalities to the characters. The voice acting, for the most part, isn't too bad and it's often very humorous.

Review: Replay Value

Because of the great multi-player aspect, this game has a lot of life to it. The single player game will also keep you glued from start to finish.

Review: Documentation

The manual is kind of odd, but effective. It tells you how to play the game and offers insight to some problems that you may face. There are also 25 pages of drawings, newspaper clippings and humorous quips from the game.

Production Credits

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

sin city	sin sin city recut extended