SiN is a game that I played back in the olden days of PC gaming and it really has a special place in my heart as being an over the top and amazing FPS game! So when SiN Reloaded was announced, I got pretty excited for the release. Well after spending a lot of time with it, I really have enjoyed it, but it does have some issues. Lets dive into this game and you can decide for yourself if it’s worth picking up.
The story of SiN Reloaded is set in the near-future dystopian cityscape of Freeport and into the boots of Colonel John R. Blade, the head of HardCorps; HardCorps is an elite private security force. Blade is at war with the ruthless SinTEK Corporation and its CEO, Dr. Elexis Sinclaire. Sinclaire has begun flooding the city streets with “U4, ” a powerful DNA-altering drug that mutates human subjects into terrifying bio-engineered monsters. What starts as a standard law enforcement response quickly spirals into a conspiracy involving genetic experimentation and corporate terrorism.
The storytelling embraces its “boomer shooter” roots with unapologetic camp, featuring sharp one-liners, high-stakes set pieces, and exaggerated character tropes. Blade is backed by his brilliant hacker sidekick, JC, who communicated with Blade by radio throughout missions to provide lore, decipher network security, and keep the tone balanced between gritty action and the unapologetic humor.
SiN Reloaded also includes the Wages of SiN expansion campaign, seamlessly continuing the story as Blade tackles a ruthless mob boss named Gianni Manero,who utilizes leftover SinTEK mutant technology to gain power.
SiN Reloaded is an FPS at its core. You go through each stage, gathering ammo and using various weapons to dispatch your enemies and to complete specific objectives provided to you throughout each level. But unlike other boomer shooters, SiN really is able to set itself apart when it comes to it’s mechanics. What I mean by this is that it provides you with a set of objectives. Depending on if you are able to complete those objectives or not, they can change the course of the story and the dynamics of levels going forward. This mechanic wasn’t something you saw in a game like this from it’s era and for that, it rather broke the mold for the direction of which it took.
For instance, there is a mission that is early on in the game where you have to disarm a missile. Failing to do so will change the way the story unfolds and entire levels at later stages in the game. If you fail to disarm the missile, there will be a stage in which it will be entirely flooded as a result, whereas if you had stopped it, it wouldn’t be flooded at all. This dynamic cause and effect really works well to make the game a completely non-linear experience which again was unheard of for its time with other games that it shared the genre with.
Graphics in SiN Reloaded I feel are wonderful, but do have a major issue. First I want to say that Nightdive Studios did a phenomenal job with the use of their KEX Engine. I mean it runs buttery smooth on the Xbox Series X and looks like it was made for the console. It runs at a rock solid 4K resolution at 120FPS with no input lag as far as I can tell.
This was kind of a surprise as when I played the Steam version awhile back, playing with an Xbox Series X controller on PC feels very clunky and not user friendly at all. So I was very surprised at how well the game performs and how seamlessly a controller works with this remastered version.
While the game looks stunning with its remastered visuals, the game gives you the option to swap between original visuals and remastered visuals with the press of a button. The remastered visuals are stunning with dynamic lighting, high resolution textures, including text on computer terminals, it all looks really clean and pretty to look at. The load screen isn’t all that long, but given this is a Series X, there shouldn’t be a loading screen at all. It should just be able to swap graphical modes on the fly.
My issue with the game from a visual standpoint as I briefly mentioned earlier is the swapping of visual modes. While you can swap between remastered visuals and original with a single button press, there is a loading screen that pops up immediately after you press the swap button. Now I am not sure if this was a design choice, or just lack of optimization, but it would have been nice to not have a loading screen come up just to swap visual styles.
Halo the Master Chief Collection was able to do this on the fly and it was seamless and stunning to jump back and forth. This may have been due to it being an in-house studio, but it would be nice to get a patch for this game to allow a seamless transition going from original graphics to remastered.
The audio found in SiN Reloaded does a great job of capturing the loud adrenaline pumping music of the original 90’s PC game. The soundtrack in the game has a heavy metal and industrial style of sound to it. This soundtrack fits this game like a glove! It balances out the loud gunplay and the sounds enemies make when they are charging toward you or barreling through a doorway.
While the sound track is just as great as the original, it sounds even better thanks to the new technology in today’ s modern gaming landscape. The music in the game is crystal clear and the sound effects of the gunplay sound hard hitting and like they really pack a punch.
In addition to the sound track, nearly every character has some form of voiced dialogue that only works to enhance the overall experience. I thought that the voiced dialogue would be a detriment to the game with it being repetitive and annoying, but in fact it’s quite the opposite. The one liners are funny, and the voices have some great emotion behind them and are just as crystal clear as the rest of the sound design. Though I will say that when you’re playing this game with the original graphical settings, it does make the game sound a bit weird. But I still very much appreciate being able to switch between both graphical settings on the fly.
In conclusion, SiN Reloaded on Xbox Series X proves that remastering a classic PC game can be made playable on today’s modern console platforms. Nightdive Studios did a wonderful job taking a classic game and giving a new lease on life in today’s modern gaming landscape. From the visual graphical overhaul to the crystal clear sound design, this is one classic game that you need to truly revisit if you’re a fan of the original release back in the 90’s.
Even if you’re not a fan of the original but you love boomer shooters, you owe it to yourself to play this game! As a fan of the original game back in the 90’s I can not recommend this game enough! Do yourself a favor and pick up this game, it’s a blast from the past with a modern coat of paint!
Disclaimer: A review key was provided
In addition to writing articles, Ryan Byers also creates content for his YouTube channel called "Obscure Games and Consoles", collects video games, and dabbles in video game development.