what i mean by "new" is that most shooters nowadays (cod, halo, all the super popular ones) are just this: run in there, kill shit, move on. of course this has been going on for years in splinter cell and deus ex, but i'm writing this from the standpoint of the typical cs-type shooter gamer. and i understand having to play the original to get the whole backstory but what i'm saying is that for a story-driven game, it's not like you'll feel entirely left out without playing the first 2 games. sure there are some parts where references are made to past titles but those are relatively minimal and the game remains mostly focused on the present.