Jack Mason, failed doctor at large
Ok, so after a bit of FMV to set the scene, the game starts right after the crash with you coming to in the midst of the wreckage. This is the training bit built into pretty much every FPS out there, and though they’re incredibly tedious for the FPS veteran, Pariah’s version is mercifully short and it does help you to familiarise yourself with the controls. After that, you’re pretty much thrown in to the fighting from the off as bad guy scavenger dudes come after you, sadly taking out the only other surviving crew member.
Jack has the standard range of moves for an FPS character with the addition of the now near obligatory semi-zoomed view on all weapons and a weaponless short term sprint function. It has to be said that Jack moves at a bit of a plod, bringing back memories of Halo and the Master Chief’s ambling plod… this is further reinforced with Jack’s jump which is another one of those slow motion up and down affairs… it feels more like being on a mini lift than jumping in the air.
Enemy AI is scalable according to difficulty and to be honest, there is a noticeable difference between the easy AI and the tougher levels of difficulty. In easy mode, the AI are pretty much your standard dumb FPS cannon fodder. Ramp up the toughness though and you’ll see the guys supporting each other, trying to flank you and take cover when hit or reloading.