User Score
3.7

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 206 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 34 out of 206
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  1. Jun 27, 2022
    2
    Survival Instinct is, without a doubt, one of the worst games on the PlayStation 3.
  2. Oct 27, 2020
    5
    This may not be perfect, but I enjoyed it. As a Huge fan of the walking dead this was right up my alley. The problem with this game is that there are so many good ideas, but are undercut with how cheaply done they are. The idea of choosing members to join and who to leave behind. Good idea, but has no actual meaning to the overall game. The idea of scavenging for Supplies. Good idea,butThis may not be perfect, but I enjoyed it. As a Huge fan of the walking dead this was right up my alley. The problem with this game is that there are so many good ideas, but are undercut with how cheaply done they are. The idea of choosing members to join and who to leave behind. Good idea, but has no actual meaning to the overall game. The idea of scavenging for Supplies. Good idea,but done poorly. Overall I'll give it a 5. Its meh. Expand
  3. Sep 3, 2020
    5
    Not that bad. The game is a mess, yes, but it had a lot of potential, the stops it forced you take when travelling with the car were a great idea but unfortunately turned out bad because you always stopped in the same 3/4 locations. It had a good element of survival where the walkers attacked you in large groups and you could only headshot to kill them but until the endgame you didn't haveNot that bad. The game is a mess, yes, but it had a lot of potential, the stops it forced you take when travelling with the car were a great idea but unfortunately turned out bad because you always stopped in the same 3/4 locations. It had a good element of survival where the walkers attacked you in large groups and you could only headshot to kill them but until the endgame you didn't have ammunition to waste, but this feature too was badly implemented because of the horrible grab mechanic the walkers had. The graphics are decent, nice colours but bad textures, something more similar to 2009 than 2013 but not an issue. The story is boring, they could've done a lot more with Daryl and Merle but tried to play it safe so they didn't impact their archs in the tv series.
    The game sucks but for the fans of the tv series it isn't that bad to deserve a 3.5 user score
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  4. Jun 28, 2020
    1
    I think this may be the first game I've ever experienced that is literally unplayable. It's a broken, buggy, mess of a game that would constantly glitch, crash, and load infinitely. I knew it was going to be bad but I've been playing a lot of bad games recently and I have a weird love affair with bad games but holy **** this was the worst thing ever. This is the first game I haven't beenI think this may be the first game I've ever experienced that is literally unplayable. It's a broken, buggy, mess of a game that would constantly glitch, crash, and load infinitely. I knew it was going to be bad but I've been playing a lot of bad games recently and I have a weird love affair with bad games but holy **** this was the worst thing ever. This is the first game I haven't been able to finish in years from it being so bad. The last time was a few summers ago when I had to quit on Hellboy Science of Evil. Congratulations walking dead survival instinct. Ive found a new game to put in my top 5 worst of all time. Expand
  5. May 15, 2018
    2
    Almost everything about this game is bottom of the barrel garbage. Only positives are a few interesting mechanics, and even then they were executed badly.
  6. Jun 20, 2017
    6
    I know about all its issues, trust me, but its my guilty pleasure and i can't quite figure out why i enjoy it as much as i did, if you see it for 10 bucks or so, give it a try, you might like it better now compared to when it was over hyped back in 2013. Just keep your expectations low and there is some fun to be had here.
  7. Aug 27, 2016
    3
    The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct is a single-player post apocalyptic first-person shooter video game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Activision. It is based on and canon to The Walking Dead television series. The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct acts as a prequel to the TV series; it is set in the Georgia countryside and focuses on Daryl and Merle Dixon as they make theirThe Walking Dead: Survival Instinct is a single-player post apocalyptic first-person shooter video game developed by Terminal Reality and published by Activision. It is based on and canon to The Walking Dead television series. The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct acts as a prequel to the TV series; it is set in the Georgia countryside and focuses on Daryl and Merle Dixon as they make their way to Atlanta during the early days of the zombie apocalypse.

    + Daryl and Dixon Voice
    - Bad Graphics and Animations
    - Bland Levels
    - Glitches and Bugs
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  8. Mar 22, 2016
    6
    OK hear me out. I know a lot of people are going to throw a temper tantrum because I've given this game an above average rating. I'm going to say it again, hear me out. Yes this game is flawed but is it as bad as people say it is, a game that was even nominated for the worst game of the year awards online. The answer to that is no. I see that this game has flaws but I still enjoyed my timeOK hear me out. I know a lot of people are going to throw a temper tantrum because I've given this game an above average rating. I'm going to say it again, hear me out. Yes this game is flawed but is it as bad as people say it is, a game that was even nominated for the worst game of the year awards online. The answer to that is no. I see that this game has flaws but I still enjoyed my time with it.

    Does the game succeed in what it was made to be? No. It fails miserably to be a backstory to Daryl Dixon from the TV series. Mainly because the game is miserably short and can be completed in around 6 hours. Which should tell you that it doesn't give much backstory except it reveals only a tiny bit more about Daryl's family and how he got his crossbow. That might sound reasonable enough to some but the thing is these subjects are given a back seat to the rest of the game and these topics are only given about 5 mins of attention for the whole game. So for those wanting a backstory about Daryl you aren't going to get what you're looking for.

    But what about the rest of the game? Like I said before I recognise the game's flaws. Random encounters that you have during your travels are repeated way too often. They could easily add more levels. Some of the textures are quite bad but most of the game looks OK. Walker/Zombie AI is also bad for the most part.

    But I still found quite a bit to like in Survival instinct. I had to think during the situations I was in, I had to think of how I could get through certain situations. Like once I was faced with a horde of walkers coming in through the only 2 exits to the building I was in and I only had 4 bullets, so the only logical thing that I could think of in that short time I had to think as they were coming through the door was to run. I liked how the game had me think of what I would do in that situation unlike Telltale's walking dead where you are given options right in front of you.

    I found the stealth mechanics quite good in the game. There is all sorts of stuff that are on the floor like cans and paper that you could accidentally step on that cold alert a walker to your presence. So you need to keep paying attention to what you could stand on.

    I had fun just assembling my squad of survivors and sending them out behind the scenes to scour for items while I got on with the main mission.

    Guns are handled quite well as well, similar to litter on the floor guns can alert walkers to your presence but guns are also handy forgetting you out of bad situations but ammo is scarce, like in the show and comics.

    I wouldn't exactly say I like Survival Instinct but I think it deserves better treatment than what people and critics are giving it. I'm not saying we should bow down to the now shut down company Terminal Reality or Activision for coming up with a pure gem but I'm also not saying to throw toilet paper at their headquarters. In my opinion it's above average and nothing more.
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  9. Jan 3, 2016
    6
    OK hear me out. I know a lot of people are going to throw a temper tantrum because I've given this game an above average rating. I'm going to say it again, hear me out. Yes this game is flawed but is it as bad as people say it is, a game that was even nominated for the worst game of the year awards online. The answer to that is no. I see that this game has flaws but I still enjoyed my timeOK hear me out. I know a lot of people are going to throw a temper tantrum because I've given this game an above average rating. I'm going to say it again, hear me out. Yes this game is flawed but is it as bad as people say it is, a game that was even nominated for the worst game of the year awards online. The answer to that is no. I see that this game has flaws but I still enjoyed my time with it.

    Does the game succeed in what it was made to be? No. It fails miserably to be a backstory to Daryl Dixon from the TV series. Mainly because the game is miserably short and can be completed in around 6 hours. Which should tell you that it doesn't give much backstory except it reveals only a tiny bit more about Daryl's family and how he got his crossbow. That might sound reasonable enough to some but the thing is these subjects are given a back seat to the rest of the game and these topics are only given about 5 mins of attention for the whole game. So for those wanting a backstory about Daryl you aren't going to get what you're looking for.

    But what about the rest of the game? Like I said before I recognise the game's flaws. Random encounters that you have during your travels are repeated way too often. They could easily add more levels. Some of the textures are quite bad but most of the game looks OK. Walker/Zombie AI is also bad for the most part.

    But I still found quite a bit to like in Survival instinct. I had to think during the situations I was in, I had to think of how I could get through certain situations. Like once I was faced with a horde of walkers coming in through the only 2 exits to the building I was in and I only had 4 bullets, so the only logical thing that I could think of in that short time I had to think as they were coming through the door was to run. I liked how the game had me think of what I would do in that situation unlike Telltale's walking dead where you are given options right in front of you.

    I found the stealth mechanics quite good in the game quite good. There is all sorts of stuff that are on the floor like cans and paper that you could accidentally step on that cold alert a walker to your presence. So you need to keep paying attention to what you could stand on.

    I had fun just assembling my squad of survivors and sending them out behind the scenes to scour for items while I got on with the main mission.

    Guns are handled quite well as well, similar to litter on the floor guns can alert walkers to your presence but guns are also handy forgetting you out of bad situations but ammo is scarce, like in the show and comics.

    I wouldn't exactly say I like Survival Instinct but I think it deserves better treatment than what people and critics are giving it. I'm not saying we should bow down to the now shut down company Terminal Reality or Activision for coming up with a pure gem but I'm also not saying to throw toilet paper at their headquarters. In my opinion it's above average and nothing more.

    Pros
    + Good managing of survivors
    + Good gunplay
    + Slightest sound can alert a walker
    + Good voice work by Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker
    + Good stealth mechanics
    + Made me think during badsituations
    Cons
    - Short
    - Bad AI
    - Bad backstory
    - Some bad textures
    - Random encounters are repeated way too often
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  10. Oct 1, 2015
    4
    Game Rating: (4.5) Sure, they had some great ideas, but they failed very miserably. It's bad enough that I didn't get suspenseful from the repetitive gameplay, but it's even worse to have such a terrible story to put on top of all that.
  11. May 19, 2015
    3
    this game is broken plain and simple all it took was for we to get in a fight with a horde of like 50 zombies behind a fence and have them slowly in a single file line waltz out to get killed one by one for me to eject the game and send it back to amazon the only postive i can see is this game could be worse and it kinda works but the **** gameplay and story can not be overlooked if youthis game is broken plain and simple all it took was for we to get in a fight with a horde of like 50 zombies behind a fence and have them slowly in a single file line waltz out to get killed one by one for me to eject the game and send it back to amazon the only postive i can see is this game could be worse and it kinda works but the **** gameplay and story can not be overlooked if you have played this game and really think it is a 7 out of 10 then you have probably already lowered your standards to dangerous low review and should find a game that really deserves a second of your time.PLEASE DONT BUY THIS GAME Expand
  12. Dec 15, 2014
    7
    This game is not as bad as people make out. Short game? yes. maybe because you are actually meant to play the game several different ways! On your journey you plot your path on a map, using a high, medium, or low fuel consumption, and you are given the option to stop and scavenge locations along the way., (e.g. use low fuel by taking a backroad, but have less to scavenge.) You will beThis game is not as bad as people make out. Short game? yes. maybe because you are actually meant to play the game several different ways! On your journey you plot your path on a map, using a high, medium, or low fuel consumption, and you are given the option to stop and scavenge locations along the way., (e.g. use low fuel by taking a backroad, but have less to scavenge.) You will be dropped off at points like farmhouses and small villages, to scavenge for weapons, fuel and ammo. Once in each main mission area, there more supplies to scavenge and survivors to reccruit, do a simple fetch quest and they will join your team, completing the game with a certain survivor/s will give you perks on your next playthrough, such as stronger melee, better sneaking or even infinite ammo. each survivor gives you a different perk. These help greatly on your second playthrough. you can take all alternate roads and have a near different game (although with the same story). The best part of the game is the voice acting. Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker voice their characters(Daryl and Merle), and its interesting to see how the apocalypse started for Daryl. Daryls in game animations and quotes fit perfectly for how he acts in the series, his silent takedown feels very much... Daryl like. Shooting is fun, although its better if you have the silenced weapons perk from saving a specific survivor. Daryls crossbow is also fun to use, although it should have came earlier in the game. Melee weapons are used as primary, although you could probably only manage to fend off 3 walkers with a hammer, as the animation times are sluggsh, and it takes 3 - 4 hits to the head for a walker go down. I does have a walking dead feel to it, and i like the choices you can make, although there are only 3 or 4 zombie models to see, and walkers often appear on a path you have cleared and leave you wondering how there appeared in that kitchen when all doors were closed behind you.
    Its a great first person zombie survival game in which you can use stealth, brute force, run and hide, or dodge every walker, if you can master the stamina consumption. Different ways to play give you a good sense of choice and adventure, but underlying, problems suchs as unrealistic damage, zombie clones and a story that is lacking, hinder the gameplay. Oh i forgot graphics! maybe because i didnt notice them to be good or bad. The graphics are standard.
    Overall I enjoyed the game, i picked it up preowned for £10 and wasnt dissapointed.
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  13. Dec 22, 2013
    7
    The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct is good only for one group of people: fans of the series. If you are a fan, especially one of Daryl Dixon, this is a recommendable experience. If not, do not waste your money.
  14. Dec 10, 2013
    1
    I really hopeful for best when i buy this game during Halloween PSN Sale, Gameplay is Worst part since Zombies keep attacking non stop, Story is only good part
    Gameplay: 0/10
    Story: 7/10
    Total: 1/10
  15. Sep 29, 2013
    3
    Un compañero del colegio me prestó este juego porque, según él, estaba muy bueno. Mi reacción: uno de los peores juegos que he jugado jamás, si bien me gusta mucho la serie "The Walking Dead" éste título es una vergüenza total: pésima jugabilidad, gráficos malísimos, no hay un desarrollo que valga la pena; en general: injugable. Prefiero jugar "The Walking Dead: The Game", aunque no lo heUn compañero del colegio me prestó este juego porque, según él, estaba muy bueno. Mi reacción: uno de los peores juegos que he jugado jamás, si bien me gusta mucho la serie "The Walking Dead" éste título es una vergüenza total: pésima jugabilidad, gráficos malísimos, no hay un desarrollo que valga la pena; en general: injugable. Prefiero jugar "The Walking Dead: The Game", aunque no lo he jugado se ve venir que es todo lo opuesto a esta PORQUERÍA. Expand
  16. Sep 23, 2013
    2
    Wow is this a bad game. The graphics are bad, clunky gameplay/stealth mechanics, same exact places that you have to stop to if your car dies. The characters are really bad and after they got me what I needed I kicked them to the curb and left them for the walkers. There are almost no good things about this game. At least the game makes you use stealth(that is also pretty bad).
  17. Aug 30, 2013
    7
    I am going to review this game in point form +Prolouge to the show +A fairly new style of gameplay +fun weapons +somewhat scary -Outdated graphics -fetch this get that -headshots only -if you run for to long he stops and cries -short,left me like thats it? -story? what story? iI am going to review this game in point form +Prolouge to the show +A fairly new style of gameplay +fun weapons +somewhat scary -Outdated graphics -fetch this get that -headshots only -if you run for to long he stops and cries -short,left me like thats it? -story? what story? i dont recall a story!(story besides being based on show sucks). But really this game does deserve some hate but not as much as it gets people come on. I give it a 6.7 Expand
  18. Aug 21, 2013
    7
    It wasn't everything i wanted from my favourite show becoming a game however despite all of its flaw to which there are a few i still had a lot fun with it and who doesn't want to be daryl dixon.
  19. Jul 8, 2013
    0
    I can some this game up in a few words. Completely and utterly horrible. I don't know what the developers were thinking when they made this game if they were thinking at all!
  20. May 11, 2013
    6
    It isn't good or excellent, it's just not as bad as some say and can even be fun at times, I've seen a lot worse movie licensed games, this one at least isn't one of them.
  21. May 4, 2013
    6
    I don't understand why all the hate. I mean, the game is far, FAR from being good but, by all means, it's as bad as it appears when you see all these bad reviews. It's not very polished and it does fell rushed but I honestly found it very interesting, challenging and tense. It preserves a strong TWD atmosphere and you really feel that you need to fight to survive. Unlike other games,I don't understand why all the hate. I mean, the game is far, FAR from being good but, by all means, it's as bad as it appears when you see all these bad reviews. It's not very polished and it does fell rushed but I honestly found it very interesting, challenging and tense. It preserves a strong TWD atmosphere and you really feel that you need to fight to survive. Unlike other games, this one is not about killing as many zombies as you can but, basically, surviving them. You are always poorly armed, fed and prepared and really need to think every step if you want to end a chapter alive. Additionally, the game brings a very interesting mini-game which is travelling: you have to manage and decide what road to take and who to take with. It is an ugly game, a poorly crafted game, but it really gives a simulation of surviving a zombie outbreak. It's not a good game, I give you that. But it's not a bad one either. Expand
  22. Apr 29, 2013
    1
    This game isn't worth the money at all. I bought this game because i thought it was as good as the original "The Walking Dead" game but NO, it wasn't as half as good. I was just disappointed because of how mediocre Therminal Reality's work was, i mean graphic(horrible),gameplay(annoying and boring) and story(will never exceed the TV series). The game itself just feels totallyThis game isn't worth the money at all. I bought this game because i thought it was as good as the original "The Walking Dead" game but NO, it wasn't as half as good. I was just disappointed because of how mediocre Therminal Reality's work was, i mean graphic(horrible),gameplay(annoying and boring) and story(will never exceed the TV series). The game itself just feels totally uncompleted(ideas were good, however) and begs me to kill myself. What ever you do do NOT buy it! Expand
  23. Apr 26, 2013
    3
    Look, I honestly had 2nd thoughts about even taking time to write this...

    The game does something good, and thats puts you in a land thats The Walking Dead. After that its just content thrown into the game. I cant say anything else good about it. I'd say I had a good time taking my anger out on the zombies for the money I wasted on the game, But That was only when the ZOMBIES
    Look, I honestly had 2nd thoughts about even taking time to write this...

    The game does something good, and thats puts you in a land thats The Walking Dead. After that its just content thrown into the game. I cant say anything else good about it.

    I'd say I had a good time taking my anger out on the zombies for the money I wasted on the game, But That was only when the ZOMBIES ACTUALLY CARED TO COME NEAR ME. I guess when the Zombie Apocalypse happens where all gonna be safe cause the zombies are gonna be interested in destroying fences then eating us.
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  24. Apr 25, 2013
    6
    It's certainly not the cutting edge of gaming technology, but not every game needs to be. The graphics are lacking, the enemy AI is completely wonky and the missions aren't as varied as most shooters at least try to be these days, but for some odd reason that doesn't bother me. It's certainly not the worst game i've played this year Cough Cough**Devil May Cry** but it was entertainingIt's certainly not the cutting edge of gaming technology, but not every game needs to be. The graphics are lacking, the enemy AI is completely wonky and the missions aren't as varied as most shooters at least try to be these days, but for some odd reason that doesn't bother me. It's certainly not the worst game i've played this year Cough Cough**Devil May Cry** but it was entertaining enough for me to not feel like a total wasted purchase. I suspect hardcore fans of the show will get more pleasure out of this than anybody. Taste is in the eye of the beholder, and while this won't be a GOTY contender by any stretch of the imagination, still a decent enough use of the license with excellent voice acting from Norman Reedus who captures his character perfectly and nice overall feel of the same universe the show tries to capture. Expand
  25. Apr 8, 2013
    3
    Not even the most die hard fans of the series will find anything remotely enjoyable in this broken and boring game. If you want to play a good Walking Dead game, play the game made by Telltale. You'll get your money's worth and then some with that game.
  26. Apr 7, 2013
    1
    Honestly this game is just as bad as I thought I was going to be when they said it wasn't going to be Dixon-Coop Online.
    I was dreaming of the day where me and my best friend could be the Dixon brothers and explore the walking dead land's for gas, food, and other essentials and have a true survival game.
    Well that all fell apart when they announced this was single player only, so I
    Honestly this game is just as bad as I thought I was going to be when they said it wasn't going to be Dixon-Coop Online.
    I was dreaming of the day where me and my best friend could be the Dixon brothers and explore the walking dead land's for gas, food, and other essentials and have a true survival game.
    Well that all fell apart when they announced this was single player only, so I didn't buy it. Instead I went to my friend's house who happened to buy it and tried about an hour and a half of the gameplay.
    Overall the graphics aren't great, probably a 4/10 for me.
    Story is okay, but lacks in certain areas, I gave it a 6/10.
    The worse part? The controls. I gave them a 1/10, I really don't think Terminal/Activison thought about how they set these controls up. They are absolutely horrifying and downright disgusting.
    I'm honestly being fair giving it a 1/10, because the controls just killed it for me and made me not even care about the other sides of the game.
    (I also thought it was too short and the traveling aspect and gas collection was done poorly.)
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  27. Apr 2, 2013
    2
    Probably not as bad as it originally seems to be, but still... Worst game you've played in a long time. Every idea is badly implemented. Technically it's laughable and it gets a "2" and not a "0-1" because of some good ideas (not their execution) and some jump scares.
  28. Mar 31, 2013
    2
    The graphics would be something I'd amire... However, I can't considering the fact the game was released THIS YEAR. The tiresome gameplay, and old DOS graphics make the game feel like a parody of The Walking Dead, not just a plain licensed videogame. Games don't get much more exausting and unpolished as this one is.
  29. Mar 28, 2013
    4
    This is far from being the best zombie game out there for PS3. The "Survival It-Stinks" response from many critics is not unfounded. It'll break it down into pros and cons.

    Pros: +The zombies are loyal to the TV show. There's no Bullies or Spitters or whatever kind of roided up zombies are in other games these days. +The idea of choosing various paths looks good on paper, yet
    This is far from being the best zombie game out there for PS3. The "Survival It-Stinks" response from many critics is not unfounded. It'll break it down into pros and cons.

    Pros:
    +The zombies are loyal to the TV show. There's no Bullies or Spitters or whatever kind of roided up zombies are in other games these days.
    +The idea of choosing various paths looks good on paper, yet barely competently pulled off in the game.
    +The game discourages you from firing guns since using them only draws more walkers to you.
    +Norman Reedus and Michale Rooker reprise their roles from the TV series.

    Cons:
    -Things get repetitious very quickly. By the third hour of playing this game, you'll be less than motivated to keep playing.
    -No incentive to kill zombies, due to no pick-ups from killing zombies nor any kind of leveling up system.
    -The grapple system when zombies are in your face is shaky, sucking at your health in no time or you end up being stuck in a conga line of zombies one after another grappling you.
    -The environments of the road levels frequently repeat. One instance had me stopping two times for two different items, yet it took place at the same diner area.
    -Little variety in the weapons and distraction items don't work as well as they should.
    -The graphics are PS2 quality, as if the game was in development back in the early 2000's.
    -The ending is one of the stupidest endings I've ever seen save yourself the trouble and watch it on Youtube.
    -$60 is a ridiculous price for a game that you can beat in less than seven hours, as well as no replay value.

    If you have a FPS zombie-killing fix you need to satiate, go with anyone of the following games: Dead Island, Left 4 Dead, or Zombie Island of Dr. Ned for Borderlands.

    For a better story, go with Telltale's Walking Dead game.

    If you feel the needs to be a zombie game completest, wait for this title to drop to 20 bucks which is what it should've sold for in the first place.
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  30. Mar 28, 2013
    9
    In my opinion it's a quite good game! I like the story behind it and the scary zombies. But it's too expensive and they could have done more. But it isn't as bad as everybody says.
Metascore
34

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 14
  2. Negative: 13 out of 14
  1. Official PlayStation Magazine Benelux
    Aug 25, 2013
    40
    You can send out fellow survivors on scavenging missions, the downside of this is that they can fail or , even worse, die. Unfortunately the number of goods they collect is so abysmal you won't care if they make it back or not. [May 2013, p.88]
  2. Play UK
    May 27, 2013
    20
    Genuinely one of the worst games we've ever played. [Issue#231, p.74]
  3. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    May 21, 2013
    40
    It almost feels as though developer Terminal Reality ran out of money, right on the home stretch. If only the game was shot in the head long before it ever got to that point. [June 2013, p79]