The mechanics of
Hacker Evolution: Untold are identical to the other iterations, so I tried to spend a great deal of time in the editor. The great folks over at exosyphen have always encouraged and supported the modding community. They provide a very easy to use editor, as well as the ability to purchase the straight source code if you have the chops to make use of it. I preferred the editor because after all, the point of the game is that illusion of being an almighty hacker. Kind of kills the illusion when you're looking at lines of code, Mountain Dew in hand, and don't really know what to do. My hat is off to those of you that can push code for real. The editor allowed all of the functionality it takes to be able to create very well told stories.
Players, if you're looking for a tool to be able to prove you can tell stories in games, again without all the pesky need of being able to code, this is a great tool. I had a slight issue when I first tried the editor in a heavily secured machine. But, it was an issue that was solved with a lot of time and tweaking of the security options on my machine.
It has become important to me recently to look at how I like to experience games. Or, more importantly, how I would like to experience games for their maximum effect. I would say that Hacker Evolution: Untold needs to be played in the dark, with your headphones on, with cold Mountain Dews within reach. If you could pull off the Cheetos fingerprints on the keyboard, it would be a plus. I am thinking of the scene from Live Free or Die Hard. If you could just recreate Kevin Smith's character's room in the basement, then you have it.
This is a no-brainer. If you liked the original games, get this one.. They just keep upping the stakes. If you like an actual intellectual challenge, get this game. If you just want a good tool to prove you can tell a story, get this game. If you have the recreation of Kevin Smith's basement from the movie, chances are you already have the game, so get a copy for a friend.