While Firefall may not be Game of the Year, I simply can't stop playing.

The Bad

Marketplace: Occasionally buggy. I had to logout and login for some transactions to fully finish.

Unlocking Battleframes: For people who want to put $0 into the game, it may take a while to unlock a few advanced battleframes. It's totally doable, but you'll need to be dedicated.

Mission Repetition: If you stay in the same zone doing missions, they'll start to feel repetitive. Missions generally won't inspire most players – find person, protect them – but they're not awful.
 

The Mixed Bag

Voice Acting: It's very enjoyable to have narrated missions instead of quest text. The downside is that sometimes it falls flat. Some characters will have zero emotion in their voice – perhaps a stylistic choice given the setting, but it doesn't really work. That said, I'd take poor narration over none!

Plot: I wanted to dislike the plot of Firefall, but it's surprisingly not too bad. I've only scratched the surface and have plenty of questions, but what matters is: I want the answers. The voice acting can, at times, be poor enough that it's immersion-breaking.

Graphics: Not the best. Models (especially faces) look a bit...plastic? If you don't look at things too closely, the overall world is pleasant, but you won't specifically gawk at the game's beauty.

Enemy Variety: Low from my time under level 10, but much better when looking at the wiki.

F2P / Paid: The price of Red Beans – the premium currency – is crazy expensive at $5 for 40 beans. When items often cost 10-80 beans, dollars can vanish. Fortunately, their use is totally optional, and dedicated players can get their hands on some. If you have enough fun with the game, it might be worth spending a little cash to reward Red 5 and extend the fun!

Technical: My computer is 3 years old, and I had it set to medium graphics. Once the game had been loaded a few minutes, it ran pretty well. Alt-tabbing is very rough; tabbing in requires everything to be redrawn (seen above). Not a dealbreaker, but something to note.
 

The Verdict

For most people, they'll pass this game up – and that's a shame. Players who forgive Firefall's weaker parts will be rewarded with a surprisingly fun time. Considering that it's free, it's easily worth the download.

If you're a fan of FPS games in general, and the RPG element intrigues you, go for it! See if it's your kind of game. The battleframes are great. The mechanics are solid. The gameplay is there.

...all it's missing now is you.
 

Colt "ShdwFlm" Casey
Deputy Editor