Had this on a CD as a kid. I've been meaning to revisit it for years now. In fact, it was one of the first games I tried to install when I first switched to Linux, as it has a native Linux version. Needless to say, as with most old Linux games, it didn't work. Tried it again today and got segmentation fault crashes, plus there's now issues with PipeWire as the game is looking for Pulse Audio. Anyway, it's such a mess, I just decided not to bother and did the Windows version instead, which ran flawlessly out of the box with OpenGL, and I put ReShade on top for easy AA-solutions (I find FAAA works best with older games).

This is essentially a Counter-Strike clone made on the Unreal engine. It's got that asymmetric objective-based gameplay, like save the hostages, plant a bomb, etc etc. You purchase weapons, armor, grenades, in fact even the weapons are mostly the same ones you get in CS. The only major difference I noticed is that there's a more complicated damage model, akin to Deus Ex, where different parts of your body can get different damage, and you can buy armor for head, torso, and legs separately.

However, despite all the similarities, it still feels like a mod for Unreal Tournament. The thing that makes Counter-Strike work is the complex physics/ballistics system. Which this game just does not have. On normal difficulty headshotting a bot with a desert eagle doesn't kill them. In general player/bot models feel very stiff when you shoot them, it's like it doesn't matter where you hit them. Your reticle is static as well, in fact it's the default Unreal/UT reticle, which means there's no dynamic accuracy system either. It really feels like you're just playing Unreal Tournament with Counter-Strike weapons and models.

Still, it kinda works for what it is. I imagine in multiplayer it's a lot of fun, but the bots are really stupid. There's no single-player campaign either, but there is a fan-made one, and it's just terrible, don't bother. One thing it helped me realize though is that there is a limit on how far you can shoot. There were moments where I could get a clear shot, but it just wasn't registering. And that campaign can really make you feel the stiffness of the physics. Like there are rooms full of enemies, and I was able to get them into a tight corridor, which in Counter-Strike would give me a winning chance if I hit headshots, but here it wasn't possible even on easy because the bots have tanky heads.

Anyway, I'd recommend avoiding this game, unless you have a bunch of friends with whom you'd wanna fuck around in the multiplayer. The maps are really good and beautiful. It's also worth just kinda jumping in and exploring them with a noclip cheat. If you're into that old Unreal aesthetic, this is a goldmine for pretty visuals.