The Operator Review (nitzan887)
Okay, while I said I liked this game, I think in terms of recommendation, this is more a "maybe" than an outright "yes." There are several things to consider before you purchase this one, and while I ultimately think you'll enjoy the experience either way, you may be slightly frustrated by at least one or two of these points. I know I was.
(-) First, the game is short. It took me less than 4 hours to finish it, and that's with several long cut scenes. Speaking of those cut scenes... pay attention to them. I didn't, because some of them seemed pointless, and that led me to the only time I felt truly stuck in this game LOL.
(+) You play as an operator in the FDI, and the entire gameplay involves sitting in front of your computer, connecting dots, and solving puzzles. I absolutely loved it. It was fresh and interesting, and the feeling of things connecting and unraveling was really fun. I actually wish we had more of it—I would've gladly played more hours of more cases, slowly connecting them to this huge conspiracy. It made me hope that someone would make an entire mystery murder game (as opposed to a conspiracy) as "the guy in the chair," slowly unraveling everything and helping the "heroes" solve the mystery.
(-/+) For a game that's sitting in front of your computer... the stakes are high and so is the tension. I actually got really anxious at parts, in a way that doesn't really happen with most games because, the way everything is set up, WE are Tenner. So I felt like there was a gun aimed at me at times, LOL. For me, this was a point in favor of the game, but if you're looking for a more relaxed experience, this may not be it.
(-/+) The ending. Personally? Not a fan. Oh, I loved the reveal. The minute I started connecting the dots, my stomach dropped. 10/10 for that. But everything after that?... I will be playing the next game, if there is one, but overall, I am not really the kind of person to enjoy an "everybody died" ending. After all the brilliant puzzle solving, I wanted these characters to have a good ending. I have seen people talk about how this was actually a good ending - how Hal is still thwarting the organization 30 years later, and that's realistic and optimistic but damn. I got attached to these characters. I wanted to see them happy, even if we fail to totally crush the bad guys in the end of the game. And I wanted to understand what the goal of the "bad guys" in this game is, and I don't. They're evil people, but... why are they doing what they're doing? No clue. Which is another thing I don't like. For me, a game needs to be able to stand on its own, even if it's part of a larger narrative. Essentially, this felt like a game meant to set up another game, and truthfully, I don't like that.