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Take control of two light infantry teams as they head behind
enemy lines. Full Spectrum Warrior is a squad-based,
tactical-action game that delivers the experience of squad
level command in the heat of battle. The product was developed
with expertise from University of Southern California's Institute
for Creative Technologies, which worked with Pandemic to bring
state-of-the-art technology to the game. Designed to simulate
today's challenges of urban combat missions, Full Spectrum
Warrior delivers a level of realism and accuracy that has
never been seen in a military-based game...
Full
Spectrum Warrior finally
crawls on to the Playstation 2 with its guts hanging out almost
a year after it was released on the Xbox back in June 2004.
But was the wait worth while?
Take
control of two teams (Alpha and Bravo) each with four team
members, with their own specialities, and head off into enemy
territory. To be honest it's not essential that you know what
each team member does, because completing each level can simply
be achieved by using the squad as a complete unit.
If one of your squad is incapacitated you can pick him up
and carry him until you reach a medic, who will have your
wounded as good as new in no time. You can afford to have
one man down, but if two fall then your mission is a failure
and you must start again from your last save point.
The game's controls look impossibly difficult to start with
and the training levels are a real help. These guide you through
the main controls and how to deploy your troops, use your
weapons effectively and how to use your men as a team.
A
nice touch is the fact that while you can restock your main
ammo when you get to an area with a UN truck and allied troops,
you can't stock up on grenades and other high explosive weapons.
This means that you you need to make sure you only use these
weapons in emergencies only, otherwise you could find yourself
running out in areas when you most need them.
I also loved the in-game banter between your characters -
foul-mouthed is probably the best way to describe it. But
it is very funny and you don't hear the same dialogue repeated
that often.
This
is certainly the most realistic battle simulation game I've
ever played. And, while the graphics and sound were stunning
on the Xbox version, they are a little flat on the PS2 offering.
The gameplay is extremely addictive. However, it is a little
too simple. I managed to finish the game over the course of
a few days - and I'm sure more determined gamers could probably
finish it in an intense afternoon. The game doesn't really
get increasingly difficult as you progress, which is a shame,
and it is really easy to finish a lot of the levels without
getting killed.
Thankfully
there seems to be no serious bugs, although I did find moving
the camera around to be a lot more difficult than on the Xbox
version - it was sometimes impossible to see where you were
sending your squad.
There is also very little depth to the game. There are very
few real choices as you have to guide your men along set routes
and if you fail in your bid to traverse a certain area (for
example if you get picked off unexpectedly by a hidden sniper)
the fact that all of the enemies are predictably in the same
place when you restart that level means that this is a game
where trial and error comes very much into play.
If
I hadn't been spoiled by the Xbox version, and if this game
hadn't been delayed by 10 months, I would have rated this
a lot higher. But, due to the fact that the graphics are not
as slick and the gameplay is a little more clunky, I'd strongly
advise you rent this game first. It's also a shame it is a
little too easy to complete.
Pete
Boomer
Buy
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£24.99
(Amazon.co.uk)
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£30.99
(MVC.co.uk) |
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£28.99
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All prices correct at time of going to press.
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