A Grand First Person Shooter

Unlike Halo and other wartime games, you need cover or you're dead. This game makes you become creative and need to not be hit. Unlike other games where you play as things happen, you'll need to quickly plan out strategies about where to run to and how long to stay in cover. The plus is that not everything can save your ass. In other games, just a table can save your life, in this bullets will just pierce and/or shatter it. Also cars can be destroyed to take out others or even yourself. The only flaw with the environment this far is (no, not invisible walls) walkthrough stones. In some out-of-city levels, there will be boulders on the sides of cliffs and stuff which you can walk into and shoot out of. You can really use this to your advantage because the enemies will run up and just look at you. So that's the only part of environment that scratches off a point from the scale.

Finally a came that distinguishes indoor and outdoor noises. Voices and gunshots echo inside and they help direct you to enemies when you're out. The footsteps really can help you expect an enemy and from the sounds of stray bullets to reloading the guns sounds just like the real deal. Also sounds from the left or right are projected through the correct speaker to really help you survive, much better with studio headphones to let you know. Even with some top sound effects, they don't reach Medal of Honor. So there's another 9/10.

Short and sweet, they look very inviting to play. Between missions, the dialogue is very poorly acted (at least in my ears and mind) and it just seems drawn out to get one simple point across. It's nice to have a story behind the game, but what really made me mark this one down is that you can't skip the cutscenes! Just really takes away the momentum of the gameplay between missions, but ah well.

Controls, one word, customization. The response is great and the movement is swift, that's really enough said.

The best part of the enemies is that they're fierce yet know how and when to take cover and when to reload, just like the people who fight alongside you in select missions. The bad part is they sometimes get too aggressive and just stupid. They'll sometimes just run to one spot for cover, then run back and take one or two shots at you on the round. They also just look generic and overdramatic when they get shot, just stand back up as if nothing happened, and repeat untill dead. To get back on the topic of fierce, these guys will chase you down if you seem to be having trouble and they'll jump down through holes in the flooring of buildings, off some small cliffs and run through fire to get a piece of you.

The part game makers have been trying to perfect in their realistic war games is generally, the real factor. This is a breakdown of the environment, sound, gameplay and A.I. all into one category. This game makes you feel that you're out beyond the frontlines into enemy territory. The shells stay on the floor, nearly anything of the environment can be destroyed, the NPC's take cover and fire at the right times, the sound coordinates perfectly with the actions taking place, and the best part is the weapon usage. Unlike most war games out there, taking a bullet will mess up your aim as you're ready for some counter-fire. Also, your guns are never as consistent like other games, it's like real life where sometimes stay bullets will just take off. Guns have different firing settings and have individual motion when equipped. Need to take out a window to shoot/see through? Smash the barrel through the glass. After taking some shots, look down and see those shells painting the flooring. When low on ammo, you'll have to reload while you can and not when you have to because it'll take some time getting that new clip in. And never reload too early, or you'll lose all of the remaining ammo in the other clip/belt (*points at Halo and its miraculous ammo saving), and not every weapon you'll find will be fully loaded, enemies fire too! Finally to add, don't think you can save time by changing your weapon instead of reloading. You'll be taking fire and shrapnel while you're cocking the firearm, taking off the safety, and loading in that clip before you collapse to the floor.

Ratings

August 4, 2011 - 07:25 BST - Nate

Also, maybe I'll start reviewing games that have been released within the past six months for once thanks to my new disposable (heavy emphasis on this word) income. Maybe.

June 12, 2010 - 15:30 GMT - Benny

May 31, 2010 - 15:53 GMT - Benny