Iron Storm

"A decent shooter that still serves me well."

Iron Storm is one of those games that seems to be lost in the fray of amazing shooters. From Half-Life to Timesplitters 2, Halo to Perfect Dark, there are so many amazing shooters that an okay one is dismissed as a lame one, simply because it doesn't offer the beauty of Halo or the Replay Value of Perfect Dark. Well, Iron Storm is a very solid shooter that I still play now and then. Now, on to my review

Graphics 7/10

I'd give it a 9, but most of the game takes place in small trenches, which isn't very appealing. But it doesn't hinder the game's graphics much, as the guns are drawn nicely, the outside areas beautiful, and the character models are very well done. Overall nice graphics, worthy of 7, which is standard. Nothing too new or fancy, just the basics.

Story 4/10

Not the best story for a shooter. It's an alternate-past type game. It's sometime I think in the sixties, and World War 1 is still raging on. You have to infiltrate an enemy base to steal a copy of some prototype they've been working on. It's pretty boring, but it doesn't take too much away from the game, so a 4 goes to the story.

Gameplay 8/10

This game is insanely hard. You'll never know who's shooting you from where, especially near the beginning because the area is littered with snipers. You are given teammates at the beginning, but they get wiped out pretty easily. It's got the basic shooter controls, wasd for moving, mouse for looking, click to shoot. That's the basics, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The extreme difficulty, even on Easy mode, and the challenge of getting through even a few parts earns it an 8.

Sound 7/10

I can't say much about the sound, it's pretty standard. Nice sound effects and almost no music. That's pretty much it, and it works well enough to earn sound a 7.

Should I buy this game?

It all depends. If you've been spoiled by stories as immersive as Deus Ex, or Online play as good as CounterStrike, then you might not like this game. The game has barely any online play, as few people ever bother to go online and play it. If you're in the mood for a basic shooter, with all the right touches and nothing too special and confusing, and a _very_ difficult game, then you should check out Iron Storm for sure.

Overall

It's a decent shooter that will make you happy, if you don't mind not being able to play online. Definitely check it out, it's difficulty will keep you coming back for more. Try it on Hard!!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/16/03, Updated 07/16/03