A tactical military simulator that does a good job balancing good puzzles with guns and grenades!
Description
Full Spectrum Warrior is a very original title that makes it unique to the rest of the horde of war games. It is not a pure action game nor is it a pure strategy game. The game has very impressive sounds, graphics, and special effects.
The graphics are absolutely amazing. There is a surprising selection of colors to give the game a lot of depth. While each environment does look similar, the layout matters a lot more in this game and each level in this game are unlike the previous. The characters look amazing as well.
While not much music is played in this game, the sound effects allow complete immersion into the game that makes the player feel that he/she really is on the battlefield.
The gameplay is what makes this game stand out though. You do not have direct control over the characters movements nor do they have direct control over the firing of weapons. Instead, you must order your squad members to move to certain locations and fire their weapons. The mechanics of this game are done excellently. This game plays with moving from cover to cover in mind. As you select locations to move to, the game automatically positions the squad members properly to make sure that they are covered. Characters will also fire on an enemy if they are an immediate threat to them. There are a wide variety of commands as well: moving quickly, moving with caution, suppressing fire, engaging enemy, launch grenade, and other commands as well. All of them have a time and place for them to be used properly. The game requires excellent strategy.
However, the gameplay can get monotonous because options are so limited (throw grenade or shoot bullets, or maneuver and then throw grenades or shoot bullets, etc...).
Also, the game flow is predetermined, with very few movement options available to the player. For instance, certain alleyways are just off-limits, wood fences can not be taken down by grenade launchers, though they can take out automobiles, and soldiers in the game can't climb over debris or boxes.
Enemy AI is as dumb as a brick. It really detracts from the immersion when you throw a grenade at an enemy soldier and they just stand there and take the full brunt of the blast, or when they just stand out in the open just asking to get shot. Also, when you get more supplies you cannot get more grenades or rockets until you finish the particular mission.
If you are a fan of military games, first person shooters or strategy games, do yourself a favor and get this. I enjoyed this game very much and was glad to see it on the Xbox where it was done justice!
