Others say...

"This is very similar to a Diablo 2 mod"
If you are a Diablo/Diablo 2 fan then you will enjoy this game. While this isn't an excellent game that bests the Diablo dungeon creeper it is fun to play and can help keep you distracted until Diablo 3 comes out. If you did not enjoy the diablo series then there is no chance you will enjoy this game.

This game comes across as a diablo 2 mod and incorporates many of the upgrades that the d2 mods introduced. A shared stash, allowing you to share items from one of your characters to another on the same computer, is a welcome addition first introduced in a popular d2 mod.

The game is a bit short and I have also found that there are very few item drops from the monsters. I find that a bit odd since there is a dedicated key to pick up every item on the ground at once. I think the key was introduced more as a means to get to items that drop in unreachable areas more than anything else. The items you can equip seem to be a bit contrived and forced (new arms, legs, hearts, eyes, etc. instead of diablo's helmets, armor, shields, etc.) and the same depth of variety present in the diablo series is not as present here.

The skill tree is a simple pyramid scheme where you need the skills that are immediately below the desired skill in the pyramid in order to develop what you want. This forces you to invest points in every skill in the game to get the skill that is at the top of the pyramid. The skills do not introduce as much variety as their diablo counterparts and feel as though they are a dumbed down version of what d2 offers. Most skills deal with attack speed, accuracy, increased damage, etc.

The few additions I did find to be very good are the inventory optimizer that sorts everything you are holding into the "best fit". Gone are the days where you have to spend several minutes reorganizing inventory items to collect that last weapon before going back to town.

I have said diablo a lot in this review. That is because this game is simply diablo with a sci-fi mod that has guns. Not a bad game. There is a demo that has the first mission for you to check out if you are on the fence.

Contrary to what one review says the game does have a multiplayer and I have yet to experience serious bugs.

"marketing-hype instead of quality-gaming"
To begin with:

I have read all of william gibsons cyberpunk masterpieces. I am a long - time player and devotee to shadowrun and general science fiction. So you see, I really *wanted* to like this game.

BUT

In my decades long computer gaming history this is the first! game I have given back to the store.

There is no multiplayer! And there will not be any. EVER. The developers had posted this sad little news at the german forum before closing it down (officially it went down for maintainance, but has been down for months now).

There is a hidden backup forum, but its difficult to find and no links do exist on the official pages. Seems the developers could not stand their customer's "praise".

Game is still buggy with 1.09 patch. The bug thread in the german forum alone (all the old posts were deleted) is 7 pages long. I believe before the forum reset it must has been more like 17 pages.

There is a 2 player LAN!, direct IP connection mode (no official internet servers) with bugs galore, no possibility to even exchange items between characters, synchro problems etc.

The publisher & developers have "forgotten" to update their feature list on their english page and the box ...

Also I really wonder how all the magazine reviews, that give the game such a high rating, seem to omit this. Makes me wonder.

Graphics are poor, they do NOT compare to Diablo 2! Not even in the remotest sense. Animation is horribly awkward and characters only have 1-3! animated sprites (one with shotgun, one with pistol, one with MP) so virtually none of your items actually show on your character. There are maybe 10 or 15 different sprites for enemies + 3-5 bosses.

Missions are poorly designed, with interior of buildings all looking the same.

Do NOT buy this game. Honestly, it's much better to read neuromancer for the 3rd. time or play Diablo II for the 3000th. ;-) than bear this insult of a game.

"Six stars out of five!"
Restricted Area is the best mix of action and RPG I've played so far. The graphics are of a caliber I have not seen in an RPG from this perspective before. I think I finally found my replacement for Diablo 2 and I may finally have another game to spend way more time on than I'm willing to admit.