Stuff I liked:
- For a game from 2006 the graphics have aged remarkably well, even on the original 360 version
- Nice gunplay, weapons such as the Chainsaw, Shotgun and Longshot sniper feel very satisfying to use, and others such as the Hammer of Dawn and the Torque Bow are a nice switch-up from the standard TPS arsenal
- Some fun level-specific gimmicks, I liked the bit when you had to search the area for light sources to avoid getting insta-gibbed by alien bat creatures, was an appreciated break from the 7th-gen power fantasy style of gameplay
- Enemy AI is pretty good for the most part, especially considering this is a third-person cover shooter; I played on the Hardcore difficulty solo and found myself having to think carefully about my next move a lot (those goddamn Theron Guards man)
- I liked how the story began directly in middle of the action, the worldbuilding felt as if it unravelled naturally rather than have it be over-explained to the player through exposition

Stuff I didn't:
- Some janky controls; in a game where choosing when to enter cover/sprint is important, having the 'A' button do both is a questionable design choice, not ashamed to admit I had some frustrating deaths bc of this
- Bad teammate AI; this game is probably significantly better played co-op bc of this
- Bland main storyline and lack of memorable characters. The only ones I really cared about were Dom and Cole, and the macho posturing of Baird and main character Marcus Fenix got pretty annoying at times

Overall I can appreciate that this was a revolutionary game for the time but I believe that, 17 years later, this game is getting on the dated side.