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| Game: |
Full Spectrum Warrior |
| Genre: |
Simulation/Tactics |
| Developer: |
Pandemic |
| Publisher: |
THQ |
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| Related Links: |
Coming Soon. |
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Full Spectrum Warrior Preview: |
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Last year I was fortunate enough to experience the world’s first playable showing of Full Spectrum Warrior (FSW): the ultimate war simulator and most original console strategy game ever at the Microsoft X03 event. FSW looked utterly stunning, played with ease and utilised an intuitive control system. A title that immediately made my top 10 most wanted list, more recently THQ have sent over the latest preview version but does FSW deliver an epic strategy tactical thriller or take a stroll through a mine field?
Hands On: Full Spectrum Warrior (FSW)
Full Spectrum Warrior (FSW) was originally borne as a training tool for the U.S Army at a reported cost of $45 Million dollars and now developers Pandemic have transformed this in to one of the most original games ever. To succeed in modern Combat whether it is in an urban environment, jungle, desert or the high Seas a combat soldier must have firepower, strategy, teamwork, bravery but above all leadership.
Leadership is exactly where you the player comes in. You don’t ever have direct control over a single soldier; you never aim and fire a single bullet or throw a grenade. You control two, four man light infantry squads (Alpha and Bravo) which consist of a Rifleman, Grenadier, an Automatic Rifleman and a team leader. As if you were a military commander from the comfort of your arm chair it’s like watching your team’s progress on Sky News. FSW is a battlefield simulator set in a fictional Middle Eastern urban environment. As commander and chief of your two teams you must guide your troops through a variety of missions such as rescuing fallen or captured soldiers to taking airports, clearing routes for convoys and helping other units accomplish their goals by offering support. However all missions have one objective in common which is to deliver your men to victory but above all, deliver them home to their families alive!
FSW commences with a series of mout courses “believe me you’ll need to pay attention Soldier!” a training camp if you like where you learn the necessary skills and controls which will enable you to conquer the enemy and keep your troops alive. Once you complete your compulsory training it’s time to take your troops into the battlefield.
You control your teams by moving a cursor and selecting an operation for your team to carry out. For example you can move your cursor to the corner of a wall where an icon will indicate your team can move and remain covered. if you send your team to a corner the team leader will automatically peer around the corner and inspect the immediate terrain for potential danger and report back. If the team leader reports that there are several hostiles under cover rather than simply opening fire on sight he will merely seek cover as per your original command and await further orders giving you the chance to plan your attack more effectively. I cannot stress any more how important it is to keep your troops well covered the level design captures this element perfectly by providing a number of cars, sand bags, walls, crates etc to seek cover. Remember that the team is not necessarily hidden but covered so that a stray bullet doesn’t take them out. Usually 1 bullet means an error of judgement and an instant injury. However the severity of the injury depends on the location of the bullet impact and often your team will survive minor flesh wounds and grazes.
A direct hit will normally incapacitate your soldiers and if two or more soldiers are hit from a team then its game over and start from the last check point again. If a single soldier gets hit and taken down then it’s up to that unit to deal with the situation. This is rather hazardous as you are two guns short should you run into hostiles. One of the team members will have to carry the injured soldier as the whole team makes their way to a medical truck to revive the fallen soldier. FSW supports a rather novel replay feature that allows players to view their actions and mistakes and perhaps learn from them. You are also able to take control from any point during the replay. This is an excellent learning tool as well as looking rather spectacular.
Using the commanders view point you are able to asses the situation and make the decision on the best way to progress, say the enemy are positioned behind a vehicle or a sand bag wall in the middle of the street you could possibly order Alpha team to lay down smoke as cover enabling Bravo team to move in to a location where they can either attack or cover Alpha team whilst they move to a better location to perhaps flank the enemy. The choice is yours as there is no single answer to any of the situations you will face each is unique and each has multiple solutions “it’s all your call, your tactics, and your responsibility to guide your men and keep them alive at all costs”.
Teamwork is an essential key to the survival and success of your teams. You will need to use both teams wisely to coordinate their movements through the urban jungle that is FWS. Use Alpha to cover Bravo, and Bravo to cover Alpha, more haste and less speed, this isn’t a race there are no prizes for speed. This is war Urban War and you can’t just send a team in guns blazing and hope for the best you need to plan each situation and encounter, use both teams at all times and manipulate each situation with careful progression to your teams advantage or you will fail! Feedback from your troops is also essential, your troops will follow an order to the letter at all times unless the order given is sending them to near certain death, they are your men, your responsibility and they will obey your every command. Each team member has a distinct personality. The player is given a few basic details at the games start. However what is really effective is the banter the team mates use in any situation. This definitely adds to the overall feel of the game and makes for a more realistic experience compared to other games where speech is minimal.
As commander you have a variety of options available other than simply controlling your teams such as calling in an air recon who will survey the area and update your GPS alerting you to your enemies locations. Although remember there are limited air recons or air support your on your own with your two four man teams at your disposal. likewise you don’t have an unlimited supply of frag or smoke grenades either so be cautious as you don’t want to use them in haste only to find later your team are pinned down by the enemy burrowed in fox holes or a team of snipers in primary positions that there all gone, you do however have a near unlimited supply of ammunition, if your teams run low simply return to the medical cas-evac for a top up although this does not replenish stocks of smoke and frag grenades.
FSW is simply the ultimate and most realistic urban battlefield simulator ever, graphically excelling and recreating the fictional urban environment the textures and models used look highly detailed and totally realistic. The authentic graphics are at times breathtaking and only add to the overall realistic nature of the game.
Also adding to the FSW experience is full Xbox LIVE support for online play (downloadable content not yet confirmed) through the Xbox Live service. Players team up with a fellow gamer as each control one of the two available teams. Here the game becomes even more involved with communication between you and your partner a vital and necessary tool to survive. There are no single commanders issuing orders now as you basically assume the role of a team leader and must rely on your partner to cover you where necessary and visa-versa as you tackle each of the various missions.
Another exciting feature via Xbox LIVE is the ability to upload your replays which gamers are able to download and not only watch but assume control and continue from any given point throughout your game, for example your Alpha and Bravo teams are pinned down by a squad of terrorists, a path to retreat is blocked, ammunition is low and supplies of grenades exhausted. Xbox LIVE gamers are able download and take command of your teams from that point and attempt to complete your mission. This could make for some pretty exciting scenarios with gamers deliberately trying to create near impossible situations for fellow players to complete.
FSW is the most original and authentic simulations of war ever created (it’s got a development price tag to prove it too!) the realism and authentic look and feel throughout is second to none. FSW completely avoided the mine field and came through unscathed and delivering the experience of urban combat to xbox owners worldwide without the need to go to war. If Strategy and tactics are your thing this is a must have xbox title of the year!
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