This reply is *definitely* to be taken as "only one person\'s point of view"....
First thoughts when I played it: "Eh, its \'not all *that*\'"
This game got talked up like crazy before it hit. I\'ve always (personally) enjoyed the Tomb Raider series & figured this same "perspective" game would be enjoyable.
But what I found was mostly barren, non-descript environments. Its like nothing jumped out and grabbed me to say WOW! But again, to each his own...
On the control side, the fact of the matter is if you are into a challenge, then from a control perspective you might love this game. I felt like I had two fist-fulls of buttons that I was trying to remember. But if I *could* remember all of them...then I was in for a treat cuz of how I could control her. Yet it was the lack of time I was (not) willing to put into the game that left me unfamiliar time and again with the controls each time I\'d pick the game up...and that would be the death of me. Nothing much more frustrating than having two opponents zeroing in on you and you figuring *this* button will make me shoot a special weapon only to find that the button you mash makes you jump...or roll...or flip...or...or...or...well, funny thing was that the button *wasn\'t* the right one to make me shoot. For me, that led to frustration with the game.
At the same time, I still own it because I tell myself that I\'ll go back to it someday and try to master it. Yeah, right... With Red Faction, TM:B, GT3 (coming in 3 weeks), and so on, I should trade this game in...
Again, this is only one gamer\'s opinion... It can be viewed as challenging...or frustrating...depending on your gaming perspective. Sorry titles are soo thin for you Vulcan. I am only glad that I\'m not in your shoes in that regards.