izigame.me

Insurgency : Sandstorm is an incredible shooter, and I can happily recommend this game to anyone interested in the genre. As of writing this review, I have over 160 hours in the game, with 159 of them being in the "PvE" modes. This will be the main focus of my review.
What makes this game so great in my eyes? To me, it strikes the perfect balance of tactical and arcade shooter. The shooting and gunplay is hands down some of the greatest I've ever seen and felt in a video game. Since you will primarily be shooting other people, they HAD to get this right. They nailed it. Guns feel weighty, sound incredible, and the death reactions are almost hauntingly realistic at times. This game employs active ragdoll physics, and it's tough going to other shooters expecting the enemies to drop the way they do here. The best comparison I can make is Rockstar's "Euphoria" engine, just not quite as robust.
Weapon selection is really solid. Certain weapons are kept to specific classes to maintain a sense of balance. In order to use sniper rifles, you must choose the "Marksman" class for example. But make no mistake, even the basic Rifleman class (which has no limit) can be effective at all ranges with the right setup. Breacher is my favorite class, as using the shotgun is insanely satisfying.
Loadouts use a point and weight system. Certain weapons, attachments, and accessories cost more points than others. I have found almost any weapon to be viable, as most guns will instantly kill an enemy with a torso or headshot. Death in this game happens quickly, and it can take some getting used to. The AI does feel a little cheap at times, but those moments are pretty rare and keep you on your toes.
Character customization! As you level up, you unlock credits which can be used to purchase cosmetics. This allows you to separate yourself from others in terms of appearance. I have also found that each time you level up, you also unlock a new piece of gear to wear. This can be anything from hats to pants to camo patterns. This is a really cool mechanic, and building a unique character is a lot of fun. Only downside is no weapon camos without buying the skins with real money.
This ties in to one of my biggest flaws with the game : Progression. After a while, it can kind of feel redundant simply unlocking more cosmetics. Most of what you will use in the game is unlocked right when you begin playing. I believe this was done by design, as I can't help but think they were competing with Counter Strike to become a more streamlined, intense shooter. None of this really matters though, as the game itself is solid enough that I don't mind not unlocking more things to use other than basic cosmetics.
The community is overall non-toxic, and I very rarely encounter griefers in the PvE gamemodes. Cheating is also a non-issue from what I have seen. Maps are overall really good, with only a couple that I generally do not enjoy playing. But the game does have map voting, which is a great touch.
This is all in the base version of the game. The modded PvE servers are insanely fun as well, which a lot more variety and tougher enemies. I'm perfectly fine playing the base version of the game though.
Overall, I highly recommend picking this game up. It's intense for sure, but the gameplay is captivating and as of right now is the only one of it's kind in terms of PvE. Do yourself a favor and pick this up, you won't regret it ;)