Heir apparent to Half-Life

Over the past 6 months or so, I have been consistently nitpicking at every single flaw that the demo version of this game had. And all the while both BillyGoat and 1CoolCat happily took the criticism. From what the credits of the game said, it took 13 months to create this game. Was it worth it? In a simple answer: you bet your ass it was!

The Altar starts off with a nicely done cutseen, in it we see the main character recieve a letter from the US Archaeological Society. It briefs us on the story: previously unknown Mayan ruins have recently been discovered. But, there is an inscription on the gates that says the temple is being guarded by the Serpent of the Silver Plumes. Once the gameplay begins, you are astounded by the high quality of the graphics, and as you progress through the game, they only get better. The first level is mostly just a tutorial that ends with a boss fight. Throughout the game there are a total of 5 bosses, if I counted correctly. The only thing that bothered me was that the second boss was really hard, maybe even harder than the final boss. Other than that small little flaw with the second boss, the gameplay is phenomenal. Never have I experienced in a GM game this high quality of gameplay, it is on par with what you would expect to see in a blockbuster game like, oh lets say, the original Half-Life. Seriously, PLAY THIS GAME. And play through it as far as you can, because it is the best new game I have played this year, including commercial games.

Graphics
This is one good looking game. The graphics range from high-end N64 looking to low-end PS2 looking, and the final boss looks amazing.

Sound
The quality of the sound isn't the best, but it fits the game well.

Gameplay
The strongest part of the game. The gameplay is on par with commercial games and is far beyond what you would expect to see in a GM game.

Story
The story fills its purpose, but its not the driving factor in the game.

Interface
Probably the weakest part of the game. The interface may not be the best, but it does fulfill its purpose.

Bottom Line
This is, hands down, the best game ever made with GM. And it would be a shame if it did not place in the competition or get a staff pick.