Full Spectrum Warrior

8.5
Great

Gameplay	9.0	"You'll find yourself remembering scenes from Black Hawk Down as you..."
Graphics	9.0
Sound	8.0
Value	8.0

By Aaron Scott

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Amongst the haze of First Person Shooters the genre has been well and truly flogged to death. With the likes of games Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six, they release title after title with the same feel. At first glace THQ look to have used the same mould but don't be mistaken Full Spectrum Warrior is a different kettle of fish.

The developers Pandemic state the title as a "strategic squad-based combat" game. This description is just about on the money, at times you?ll forget you're playing a FPS. To fall into suit with the US Army, Pandemic had to provide real weaponry, i.e. you won't find a Rail gun among the weapons of choice.

Before you get shipped away for duty you must complete an in-depth tutorial. This can be a win/lose arrangement. Win- you learn all that you need to know about the strategies needed to defeat the enemy, lose- this takes between 1-2hrs to complete, but trust me it?ll be well worth it. The tutorial doesn't feel like one, the time will fly. The strategies of the game come from none other the US Army; this is probably the strongest point of the game. Everything you do is the real deal, no imaginary tactics here.

In the game your take charge of two teams Alpha and Bravo. These two squad's form Charlie 90, each squad is controlled by you. This is where the Real Time Strategy element of the game is shown. All missions come down to you moving the squads into areas to gain tactical advantage. You'll defeat your enemy though a little thought rather than by force. Though you only can control one team at time, it becomes very clear that you'll have to work together if you going to advance in this game. Thankfully there are save points along the mission as you go though. This is bonus as some environments are fairly big and can take up to an hour to complete.

The surprising thing about the game is it easy as you go on. This isn't due to the fact the game has been designed this way, more to that you'll become more accustomed to the controls and tactics. Most of the missions include rescuing hostages, securing areas and destroying the odd tank in the process. Though you'll face the same enemy in a mission, they get smarter as you go along. They'll use cover, heavy weaponry and generally try to outsmart you. But let me assure you if you slip up, they'll be there to make you pay for it!

Now to the key point for many people, graphics! In terms of visuals this game doesn?t let the Xbox/PC faithful down. Graphically the war environments are superb, you can't help but feel immersed in the game. Not only does the dust moves across the screen, like a cheesy western but the environment deteriorates as you destroy vehicles and buildings. Another feature is the Squad Cam, simply hold the L trigger and you can pivot the camera view around. It?s hard to explain but its almost like watching war coverage from a CNN cameraman's lens.

Sound and music has been done fairly well, the gunfire has been beefed up a bit from how real weaponry sounds but this just adds to the realism of the game. This effect makes it more like a Movie than videogame. You'll find yourself remembering scenes from Black Hawk Down as you systematically take down tangos or enemies to you civilians out there.

Full Spectrum Warrior is more of a modern war game and with the current global climate this really gives you the feeling of being among the fray in downtown Baghdad. It has 11 missions and the story is based on a country Zekistan. The country is in deep civil war and also harbours known terrorists, you've been ordered to assassinate the ruler Al Afad. Give yourself some time to warm up to this game and get past it. This is a new kind of game, and with new games comes a little more time to master them. I doubt that anyone will master this game overnight.

Does Full Spectrum Warrior live up to the hype? How could it? Most games don't, we must remember that this game has no equal, with very little on the market to compare it to, Full Spectrum Warrior is a unique breath of fresh air to the genre.

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