Developed by Crystal Dynamics (Legacy of Kain PC series makers), Project: Snowblind is a futuristic sci-fi first-person shooter set in Hong Kong in 2065. The game follows the exploits of Lt. Nathan Frost, a Coalition soldier who gets critically injured and then turned into a cyborg. In addition to being a firearms and explosives expert, you also have been given unique bio-augmentations such as enhanced vision and the ability to slow time. The plot is not too heavy as it revolves around the classic villainous dictator who plans to unleash a weapon of mass destruction upon the world. You must fight against unwelcome invaders, shady military coalitions, and an ultimate weapon that could go off at any minute.Your life definitely isn't easy.

The best way to describe Project: Snowblind would be as a cross between Red Faction, Halo and Deus Ex, plus some arcade elements. Much of the game takes place out in the streets but you also spend a lot of time indoors in urban and industrial centers. There're over 18 levels. They are quite linear, both in their physical layout and the order in which you complete objectives. The level goals will be familiar to any shooter fan - lead a squad of troops (none of the AI comrades in Snowblind are controllable) across a rubble-strewn war zone, shut down turrets firing on your men, sneak into the enemy computer center, hack into cameras and botshack computers, free the prisoners, etc. The hacking is a bit cheap because you just shoot the device you want to hack with your special "ice pick" weapon. You've got complete control over a small security network or perhaps a heavily armed robot. Project Snowblind is a very active game, such that firefights are much more often than you'd expect, but it doesn't bother you in the least.

There are a ton of weapons to use which include pistols, assault rifles, shotguns, rocket launchers but there are also some inventive new weapons such as an electromagnetic pulse rifle that electrocutes groups of enemies. There are also various types of grenades (frag, EMP, flashbang, poison gas) and explosive weapons to give you a little more bang for your buck. At any point, Nathan Frost can have a primary weapon, a secondary thrown weapon, and an enhanced special ability, referred to as an "augmentation." These range from defensive abilities, such as "vision" (an IR view that displays hostile targets), "reflex boost", "cloak" and "ballistic shield," to offensive ones, such as "electrical storm," which fires off an orb of lightning which seeks and attacks enemies. Energy is sucked away when you use them, but this can be replenished with the power-ups less-than-liberally sprinkled throughout the levels. However, your bio-augmentation depends on electronics that are vulnerable to electro-magnetic pulse (EMP) attack. Both the EMP grenade and certain environmental elements can create the "Snowblind Effect", when electromagnetic radiation temporarily fries all your nano-augmentations, depletes your bio-energy, and fogs your vision with video static. This is best described visually as the snow on the old analog TV when a station is not available. The game has vehicles too. There are two car-class vehicles, the Phoenix (no weapons) and the Hydra (machine guns and a rocket launcher).

Besides single player, the game also has multiplayer which can be played via Internet or LAN. The game includes Capture the flag, Deathmatch, Assault, and Demolition-type games - all the types of multiplayer are variants of popular modes. All multiplayer modes are class-based, so you will start out choosing a unique loadout, with specific primary weapons, grenades, and augmentations. Of course, it isn't on the same scale of customization as the other games, but there is a lot to play - especially using vehicles can be quite fun. They can cover ground quickly, a real necessity when you're trying to escape with a flag or rush back to defend your generator.

Overall, Project Snowblind is just a basic action first-person shooter and it doesn't stray too far from the first-person shooter formula. If action is much more important to you than graphics, this game may be a pleasant surprise for you.

related links: homepage, demo (213MB), cheats, trainer +5

System Requirements
Minimum: Pentium IV 1.5GHz (or AthlonXP equivalent), 256MB RAM, 100% DirectX 9 compatible 64MB Direct3D Card with Pixel Shader 1.1 support (GeForce 3/Radeon 8500+)*, 100% DirectX 9 compatible Sound Card, DVD-ROM driver, 3GB free HDD space // * GeForce 4MX not supported

Recommended: Pentium IV 2.4GHz (or AthlonXP/64 equivalent), 512MB RAM, 100% DirectX 9 compatible 128MB Direct3D Card with Pixel Shader 2.0 support (GeForce 6 Series/Radeon X series)