SiN: Reloaded Review (Xbox)

There’s something undeniably charming about digging up a forgotten shooter from the late '90s and discovering ideas that still feel surprisingly ambitious decades later. While SiN never achieved the same legendary status as contemporaries like Half-Life and Unreal, Nightdive Studios' SiN: Reloaded gives this cult classic a second chance, polishing its rough edges while preserving the distinctive personality that helped it stand out back in 1998.

Set in a near-future dystopia, you play as Colonel John R. Blade, a security consultant determined to stop the schemes of the charismatic yet dangerous Doctor Elexis Sinclaire, CEO of SinTEK Industries. When a DNA-altering drug begins spreading through the city's streets, the story quickly escalates into a battle against corrupt corporations, mutated monstrosities, and an army of genetically engineered enemies. It's unapologetically cheesy, packed with over-the-top action and 90s attitude, but that pulpy cyberpunk energy remains one of the game's greatest strengths.

What makes SiN: Reloaded particularly interesting is how many modern design concepts were already hiding beneath its dated exterior. Levels are packed with interactive elements, allowing players to hack computer terminals, manipulate security systems, operate elevators, and engage with environments in ways that were unusually advanced for the era. Some missions feature branching paths and alternate routes, with certain decisions affecting how later sections play out. Even today, these mechanics help the game feel more dynamic than many of its contemporaries.

The combat remains enjoyable, largely thanks to a varied arsenal and some inventive mechanics. Enemies can have weapons knocked from their hands, while area-specific damage adds a little extra tactical depth to firefights. The game also mixes things up by occasionally putting you behind the wheel of vehicles including forklifts, patrol boats, and helicopters. Not every experiment works perfectly, but the constant variety keeps the campaign moving forward at a brisk pace.

Nightdive's remastering work is impressive without fundamentally altering the core experience. The game now benefits from remastered textures and models, improved maps, modernised controls, upgraded menus, anti-aliasing, and support for resolutions up to 4K and 120 FPS on supported hardware. Better still, players can seamlessly swap between the new visuals and the original presentation, making it easy to appreciate just how much work has gone into the restoration. The included Wages of SiN expansion pack adds additional value and rounds out the package nicely.

However, not everything has aged gracefully. The enemy AI can feel simplistic by today's standards, story presentation is undeniably dated, and some level design quirks remain intact. At times, the game's age becomes impossible to ignore, particularly during lengthy firefights that lack the intensity and fluidity of modern shooters. Nightdive has preserved the original experience faithfully, but that means some of the original frustrations come along for the ride as well. Critics have generally praised the remaster's preservation efforts while noting that the core game still shows its age.

What ultimately saves SiN: Reloaded is its personality. This isn't just another retro shooter revival. It feels experimental, occasionally messy, and often surprisingly inventive. You can see developers eagerly throwing ideas at the wall in ways that big-budget shooters rarely do today. Even when certain mechanics feel crude, there's an infectious enthusiasm behind the experience that remains enjoyable nearly three decades later.

Pros

• Excellent remastering work with modern features

• Creative level design and environmental interaction

• Branching missions add replay value

• Fun, varied weapon arsenal

• Includes the Wages of SiN expansion

• Ability to switch between original and remastered visuals

Cons

• Enemy AI feels dated

• Some level design frustrations remain

• Story and dialogue show their age

• Combat lacks the polish of modern FPS titles

• A few rough edges were preserved alongside the nostalgia

SiN: Reloaded isn't a lost masterpiece suddenly revealed to the world, but it is an important reminder that innovation didn't begin with modern shooters. Nightdive has delivered a thoughtful remaster that preserves the game's strengths while making it considerably more accessible on modern hardware. The result is a fascinating slice of FPS history that's well worth experiencing for retro shooter fans, even if some of its ageing design occasionally shows through. For longtime fans, it's a welcome resurrection. For newcomers, it's a chance to discover one of the late '90s most ambitious cult-classic shooters.

XPN Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (SILVER)

SiN Reloaded is available now!