Gameplay was an improvisation between modern sensibilities and arcade reflexes. The PC download, cobbled from different builds and community patches, offered multiple control modes: mouse-and-keyboard for precision headshots, controller for that old-gallery feel. You learned quickly to balance speed and conservation. Ammunition was finite; every missed shot was a tax. Enemies chewed through the scenery with a hunger that made even background NPCs feel dangerous. Boss fights were choreography in blood and light, enormous infected figures that required pattern reading and courage.