Do you like the frantic, breathless scrap for survival of Hotline Miami, desperately searching for cowl as enemies shut in from all instructions? The exact, measured stealth of Splinter Cell, the place enemies should be picked off with ruthless effectivity? How concerning the freedom to method conditions as you see slot in immersive sims like Deus Ex? In case your reply to all of these is sure, Intravenous 2 is that good combine – life like, brutal, and uncompromising, it’s a stealth recreation the place the smallest error usually results in a lethal, high-stakes shootout. Now, a brand new replace makes it even higher, introducing new weapons and Steam workshop help.
Intravenous 2 is a extra refined sequel to developer Explosive Squat Video games’ first providing. The brand new mix of tactical shooter and stealth recreation has earned itself an ‘overwhelmingly constructive’ Steam ranking, with 96% of person opinions recommending it. I’ll admit I battle to make it by way of even half of every mission with out blowing my cowl, however the feeling of each profitable takedown or sneaky evasion is elegant, and when it breaks out right into a full-blown motion recreation it’s maybe much more pulse-pounding enjoyable.
The sport’s latest replace, patch 1.2, was initially deliberate simply to introduce the map editor and Steam Workshop help, which permits customers to share mods starting from weapons and devices to full customized campaigns. Nonetheless, creator Roman Glebenkov notes that the replace “grew in measurement” over its growth, and now consists of a number of further core options. Three extra weapons have been launched to the bottom recreation: the Mac-10, UMP, and Famas G2.
The Mac-10 is an unbelievable close-range powerhouse, however falls off rapidly as you get additional out of your goal. The UMP features as a middle-ground possibility between the MP5 and the Mini-Uzi, with a slower hearth charge than each making it simpler to regulate and providing extra influence with every hit you land. The Famas G2, in the meantime, is flexible throughout ranges, however its excessive charge of fireside means it’s powerful to maintain regular if you happen to use it in full-auto mode. It’s additionally price noting that bullet velocity throughout the entire recreation will now drop as your photographs journey additional.
New filters have been added to the loadout menu to extra simply navigate and construction your stock. Weapon dealing with has been improved, along with your abilities now affecting how lengthy you possibly can repeatedly hearth a weapon earlier than it turns into arduous to regulate. A slight silhouette impact when your character is in very darkish areas has been launched to make it simpler to maintain monitor of your place, and you may change the visibility of your line-of-sight indicator in order for you a more difficult expertise.
A number of present weapons have been made suitable with different attachments to additional enhance their flexibility. The Mannequin 700, for instance, can now be outfitted with a 4x scope that will help you in longer-range engagements, whereas the MP7 might be hid if you happen to’re in a stage the place it is advisable to preserve your weapons hidden in a public house. Weapons present in missions or dropped by enemies can now have mods connected, and also you’ll see extra of this as the sport progresses – carry one to the top of a stage, and also you’ll unlock the entire outfitted mods for that individual weapon routinely.
The brand new stage editor is a versatile device that needs to be fairly simple to choose up and be taught, permitting you to create your personal missions from scratch that may be shared through the Steam workshop. For those who’re keen to begin modding past that, Explosive Squat notes that you simply’ll want data of the Lua scripting language, however past that “the sky is the restrict.” It additionally encourages you to hunt out the sport’s Discord if you happen to’re keen to talk with different mod creators and gamers.
Intravenous 2 replace 1.2 is out now on Steam. The sport can also be on sale at a 25% low cost by way of Saturday February 1, so you should purchase it for simply $14.99 / £11.24 till then. There are heaps extra minor tweaks within the replace, so verify the total patch notes courtesy of Explosive Squat for all the extra modifications.
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