AI and Comms
A niggling thing is the AI of your computer controlled team-mates in the single player mode. They seem to have some weird random factor built into them that controls what they do. If a character is hurt, they will be able to do no more than crawl along… so to keep them alive you can pick them up and let them lean on you. It’d be nice if they did the same for you when you’re in trouble. Crawling along an empty corridor, yelling at them to help me as they stand there and do nothing has to be one of the most infuriating things I’ve ever done. Likewise, for some reason they just leg it off someplace before returning a little later… sometimes fine, sometimes needing your help. It’s all I could do to not shoot them myself and have done with it. It has to be said they do muck in and help you deal with the baddies, but you’ll find that more often than not, they’ll only attack if they’re threatened, the rest of the time you’ll be on your own.
Now, the limited control you have over the AI is accessed through the right thumb stick and covers such things as “help”, “follow me” etc. This system carries over into the multiplayer game too but is a poor substitute for real voice comms. You’re stuck with stock phrases like “yes”, “no”, “thank you”, “help” etc. but most of the time these don’t really do for being able to say “Cover me while I check over here, and yell if you need me back sharpish…”. Without a good comms system, you have to rely on your human pals to have a good idea of what they should be doing and who should do what. If this isn’t the case, then the players tend to all run off their own way and no-one gets anywhere. This makes it tricky to go online without having had a good crack at the game in single player mode. There’s no button for “I’ve not played this bit before and I don’t know what to do”.