Story
Garcia Hotspur, a well-known demon hunter (well-known in Hell) has made quite a living by sending Hell beasts back to where they belong, but after one demon gives him a grave few words, Garcia is a bit on edge. When he returns home to his girlfriend Paula, he finds her hanging from a ceiling fan, and a demon coming out of her back, Garcia is quite shocked by this (as one might be). After dealing with several demons, he finds the Lord of the Underworld holding his (alive) girlfriend (yeah, after her skeleton basically jumps out of her, she's alive, being the Lord of Death has it's advantages).
The Demon King is understandably upset that his legion has been slaughtered by Garcia and in compensation, takes Paula, mocking Garcia that his weapon (a gun that can transform and also named Johnson, doesn't have the "penetration" that his has). Garcia quickly follows the Demon King in the attempt to get back the women he loves.
Graphics
The graphics in SotD are pretty much what one would expect in games these days. Not great, not bad. The game has a more darker feel to it (which makes sense, it takes place in Hell), and therefore, lighting plays a huge role (meaning you'll be in dark areas, often (had to crank my brightness level up at times). Blood effects are pretty cool, not traditional spraying, kinda comic like, but dark. At times, however, you can see areas that the devs didn't put much effort into, blood and bodies will just be a clump of red and black, nothing serious as this usually is only in areas you don't need to go to, but still shows.
Controls
Controls are very simplistic, there are only a handful that need to be used, triggers (aim and shoot), bumpers (Lightshot, shots light, and heal), and the four usual (run, reload, melee). No complicated combos to learn, so this game should be easy to pick up and jump into. There are a few button mashing moments, but this shouldn't make the game any more difficult.
Voice/Music/Sound
This is my personal favorite area, the music is done by Akira Yamaoka, the person behind the Silent Hill music, and his talent tied with a mix of Rock is a nice mix. The voice work is, IMO, pretty good, some characters sound lame and corny, like Mr.X (that's not his real name, but he has a giant X mark on his face, so.... yeah), other than him though, the work is generally well done. The sound and ambiance that accompanies it makes it feel like you went to hell, or Ozzfest (I'll leave that so you can make your own joke), but a nice mix non-the-less.
Other
The lack a a replay ability is saddening, and if you're an achievement hunter, they difficulty ones don't stack, so you'll be playing this at least 3 times, which gets tedious after a while.
It's also short, I beat the Easy playthrough in 4 hours, Medium in about 6 and Hard in about the same.
A plus though, is the sexual innuendo, I love it personally, Big Boner, Hot Boner.... oh it's great. :) And the best achievement name ever made. Ever.
Now That's a Big Fuckin' Gun
Overall
If you like horror, shooters with smart-ass characters or talking about Boners, this is a game for you.
8.5/10.0
Pros
- Interesting cast
- Great Music Score
- BONERS!!!!
Cons
- Short Story
- No Replay
- SOME Cheese-y VO
