'SUPERHOT' Is Just That—Super Hot

It's the most innovative shooter I've played in years! If you've played the game, you both know how this statement is true, and a great reference. But it truly ranks up with Half-Life, Far Cry, Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines and System Shock 2 as one of the most powerful first person shooters ever programmed. If you haven't played the game, and are just looking at the picture above, you might ponder my intense enthusiasm for the new fps from Piotr Iwanicki. Let me explain. Is it bad I'm paranoid about getting excited about a product by a guy named Piotr because I don't want to be accused of Russian collusion?

Obviously, this game doesn't draw one into a beautifully realized world like Half-Life or Bioshock, or have the player gunning down (or running from) some of the most grotesquely frightening enemies you've ever encountered that DOOM and Outlast provided us with. What this marvel of computer programming does do is give us gamers a unique gameplay mechanic, something we (or at least I, maybe you're content playing the newest Call of Duty) have been starving for. In SUPERHOT, time only moves at a normal rate when you do. Sit still, and time (nearly) does with you. I shouldn't have to explain how this opens up endless possibilities in the game; instead of a player constantly reacting to people trying to kill him, every step in SUPERHOT can be calculated manually for maximum carnage. This mechanic, which I think is the most entertaining thing to come to first person shooters since Nazis, turns the game into almost a strategy title; you really get to choose your shots when you don't have enemies constantly unloading full clips with fully automatic weapons at you. The weapon list is sparse, with a pistol, a pump action shotgun, an automatic rifle, and the most popular weapon to ever come from Japan, the katana. The player does have the ability to pick up and throw a variety of items to temporarily stun enemies, such as calculators, televisions, telephones, briefcases, liquor bottles, and more, yet these all act the same regardless of the weight behind the object. I'm not complaining, however, there's endless hours of fun to have with what the game provides. When running down hallways and killing enemies is all I'm doing, I need more and more guns to stay entertained. This game tickles my brain to the point I don't care what I'm killing with, as long as I'm killing. Not to mention the fact that there is something just unbelievably satisfying in watching your glass-like enemies exploding into little bloody chunks. Then again, with all the Japanese deathmatch wrestling I watch, maybe I'm this game's target audience.

Later in the game, we get introduced to another new mechanic; jumping into the bodies of your enemies and taking them over. Your previous body perishes after this, but that is none of your concern. Bodies are disposable. They hold you back. You have evolved. Don't fear the change. This game truly sets you free in its levels, with unparalleled ability to move around the map, claiming lives with ease.

After the main game, there are a variety of challenges to play, switching up the game mechanics ever so slightly in a variety of ways like throws or kills, the ultra difficult punching only, and the relaxingly easy one punch kill mode. Speed runs are my favorite side game currently, but there is plenty to get lost in. This game has been fantastic for the fun levels in my life, but has had the opposite effect on my productivity.

I don't want to mention the plot, because while it is minimalist in design, it's as good as anything Metal Gear Solid did, pre-Kiefer Sutherland anyway. Just think about the fact that time does not move unless you do, and then imagine. As of this writing, the game is included in a current Humble Bundle, so if the massive amount of fifteen dollars is too steep a price to pay for just yet another fps, go give to charity and get the game anyway. Right now, I am going to go plug back in though, because I've finally got a new gameplay mechanic in a first person shooter and I'm as excited as a guy on a murder spree who can pause time. Oh wait, that's exactly what I am with SUPERHOT.