Full Spectrum Warrior - first impressions

[mobil1_oils]

[b]<span style=\'font-size:30pt;line-height:100%\'>Full Spectrum Warrior - first impressions</span>[/b]

Playing Full SpectrumWarrior is the nearest most of us will ever get to modern warfare. And very exciting it is too, in a this-is what-dying-actually-feels-like kind of way. All of which comes as something of a relief because when games are converted from other formats they often get outsourced to the programming equivalent of cowboy plumbers. But developer Mass Media is doing a fine job. The visuals are on par with the Xbox original - plus we get an expanded campaign, which includes exclusive PS2 content as well as all the PC and Xbox content. To which we say \'hoo-ha!\' Because, having played the original, we reckon FSW is the best squad-based shooter around. Here\'s why.

First, the atmosphere is charged with genuine tension. The action takes place over the course of 12 hours as the ground-based invasion of Zekistan (which is entirely fictional and in no way supposed to be Iraq) begins. You command two four-man squads - Bravo and Alpha - as they pick their way through the streets, one block at a time, engaging hostiles and making embarrassingly macho quips. (\"That\'s one less @$#% to worry about\", remarks one trooper after drilling another poorly trained goatherd.) As we mentioned earlier, that\'s \'command\' rather than \'control\'. Your job is to issue the orders that instruct the troops to move and fire. So no, you don\'t actually pull the trigger yourself. But remarkably the action doesn\'t feel any less immediate here than in say Rainbow Six or SOCOM.

The order you\'ll give most is \'point fire\'. This tells the squad to train their weapons on a particular direction and shoot. However, when faced with sterner opposition you can instruct the men to \'suppress\'. At which point they all stand up and unload on fully automatic. This pins the enemy down but chews up ammo like a <img src=\'http://www.killanet.net/forum3/public/s ... nsored.gif\' class=\'bbc_emoticon\' alt=\'(cens)\' />. Solution: send the other squad around the back to create a crossfire. Indeed, Full Spectrum Warrior is all about executing note-perfect outflanking manoeuvres - as indeed it should be, given that the game is based on a training aid developed for the US Army and the videogame-addled brains of its recruits.

Outthinking the enemy is vital, because once in cover they\'re tricky to winkle out. However, it\'s pleasing to note that some scenery will deteriorate - so pump enough rounds into a cow\'s carcass or a wooden fence and eventually the guy hiding behind it will be fatally exposed. Each squad also has a rifleman armed with an M203 grenade launcher. When fired judiciously (say at the bonnet of a car) the shrapnel will often kill nearby enemies. Be warned though, thanks to the US Army\'s pansy, \'leave no man behind\' ethos, if one of your lads gets injured the others will have to haul him around until you can find a medic, drastically reducing their combat effectiveness. And if two men bite into a bullet bagel then it\'s mission over. Fortunately, you can normally pick up exactly where you left off thanks to the smart replay system. The only slight downer is that the problems you face all eventually come to feel like variations on the same theme, and in almost every case outflanking is the answer. But otherwise this feels parade-fresh.

We particularly like the way Full Spectrum Warrior concentrates on a single day and place, whereas other military games take you on a \'round-the-world tour of terrorism hot spots. We also like playing with jobbing soldiers rather than elite operatives. Plus, despite the ongoing nightmare in the Middle East, there\'s something stirring about commanding men raised on Marlboro Reds, Sports Illustrated and T-bone steak.


[url=\"http://au.playstation.com/news/fsw_playtest.jhtml\"]Source[/url]