Ion Fury effortlessly channels the spirit of old school shooters like Duke Nukem 3D, but the action is slowed by dull backtracking and environmental puzzles. When it flows there's a good challenge to be had, but the level design can be too convoluted for its own good.
I could keep going on and on, but I'll make it simple. Ion Fury not only recaptures what made retro shooters so memorable, but it improves on them in a number of ways. While not as excellent as some other recent entries in the same genre, this is a game that fans of the past should not miss. It's brutal, lightning-fast, and always putting fun before anything else. Some nips and tucks here with a few more enemies there and we could have a real contender for "Queen of FPSes."
Regardless, Voidpoint's own work remains a thoroughly entertaining first-person shooter, and the way it pulls the Build Engine up by its bootstraps makes it worth the price of entry alone.