This is a cozy game, actually. It's not as horny as the EGM features would have you believe - it's actually a pretty fun vacation simulator with some casino games, some volleyball, and some light dating-sim elements. I truly believe that the structure of this game could be expanded upon to be something great, and maybe the sequels get there! Everything is pretty shallow though, and the only real "goal" besides chilling out is collecting a bunch of trinkets in the game. Still, it was a fun couple hours to spend on a virtual tropical island and have some light fun.

Quake 2's base mechanics served as a scaffolding for this - a set of fun, smart, modern levels with themes, escalating tension, incredible level design, and great environment art. Something of this scope can only be achieved in the modern era by looking backwards to what made games like Half-Life 2 and the modern Dooms great. The only thing holding it back is Quake 2's gunplay and spongy enemies, but Call of the Machine easily earns a place at the top of the great modern boomer shooter campaigns. Easy to recommend over the base Quake 2 campaign.