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by: Tim Dever
Gamers have been looking forward to Full Spectrum Warrior ever since it was first shown at last year's E3. The game was originally developed for the US Army as a training aid, and Xbox owners have been salivating over the chance to get their hands on a title that would almost surely be the most realistic military sim to date. It lost some momentum along the way--particularly when most casual gamers realized that the game was a strategy title, and didn't allow the player to take control of any soldiers to control their fire. However, many people welcomed this idea, and only anticipated the game more. Nearly four years after being contracted by the US Army, Pandemic Studios and THQ have shipped the retail version of Full Spectrum Warrior to stores--but did it live up to the expectations?
Full Spectrum Warrior puts you in control of eight soldiers, all of which are sporting their own character models, voices and personalities. The troops are split into two teams, and each team consists of a leader, machine gunner, rifleman and grenadier. You can only control one team at a time, but are given the ability to switch between them on the fly in order to carry out simultaneous commands. Most of the gameplay consists of maneuvering through a fictional Baghdad clone, taking care to stay behind cover along the way, and engaging enemies you come across. Combat does a good job of appearing intense, although there's never really any hurry to press on while under fire, since troops who remain safely behind cover can almost never be killed. There are exceptions to the rule, however, such as when your target is armed with an RPG, and some types of cover are destructible. Unfortunately, nearly all encounters can be won by engaging the enemy with one team while you maneuver t!he other around to flank them. This may not seem very deep, but it is the core of army tactics, and the game somehow remains exciting throughout the duration.
One of the main reasons you stay enthralled while playing this game is that the graphics are simply phenomenal. The character models and environments look almost photorealistic, and combine to draw you into an experience very similar to what you'd imagine our troops are going through in the Middle-East. The animations look outstanding, as well. Everybody moves with a rehearsed efficiency and urgency that is so convincing you'll almost question whether you're watching a videogame or a hollywood movie. Textures look fantastic, and there are little touches everywhere that may seem easy to overlook on their own, but add up to create a world where everything is in place. I could go on and on about the graphics in this game, but I think you get the idea.
All of the audio in Full Spectrum Warrior is top-notch. The music fits the setting perfectly, although much of it is recycled throughout the game. Every weapon sounds as powerful as you'd imagine, from rifle fire to grenade explosions. Sound effects, like choppers flying overhead or the hissing of RPGs flying through the air, are of the same high quality. All of your troops are voiced in a very believable manner, and they each have their own personalities. Keep in mind, though, that Full Spectrum Warrior has some downright vulgar language, so have the kids leave the room before you start playing. It's nice to see games portraying war as a very scary, hellacious experience, and seeing the characters react the way you'd expect them to in those situations.
Full Spectrum Warrior's campaign begins with a mandatory training course that will familiarize you with everything that your squad is capable of. Once the tutorial concludes, your men will ship out to a fictional country comparable to Iraq with orders to remove an international pain-in-the-butt from power. The game then follows them while they attempt to carry out that mission, as well as completing other spontaneous objectives that pop up on their way through the war-torn streets of the capitol of "Zekistan." Save points, referred to as sit-reps (situation reports,) pop up often throughout each mission, allowing you to retry those tough spots without having to experience too much déja-vu. The campaign can be played on two difficulty levels by yourself, or cooperatively on Xbox Live. The co-op gameplay is basically the same--you control one fire team while your friend controls the other, which requires good communication via the headset in order to plan your engagements. !This is what makes it more interesting, and ultimately increases the fun factor. All in all, you can expect the campaign of Full Spectrum Warrior to clock in right around the 10 hour mark, which is quickly becoming the standard length in single-player games these days, but there is little incentive to playing the game through again after completion. Pandemic Studios included the the Army version of the game on the disc, which may give some added replay value, as well as a much steeper learning curve.
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