"Do not count the miles, do not count the days, only count this game as another mediocre WWII shooter."

World War II. The war that cost more money and took more lives than any other war in history. Sounds like the perfect foundation for a first person shooter, seeing as how the war had so many intense and exciting battles, as well as some small stealth ops and sabotage missions. The war also had several fronts, so games could easily find a new place to take the player. So if WWII is such a great theme for a first person shooter, then why the hell can't a console shooter get a good WWII game?

Let me start with the story. Actually, this game has a few stories. Throughout the game you will play as different people from Russia, England, and the United States. All have their own stories complete with reasons why they joined the second Great War. Even better, the stories are actually pretty good. The people are not war craving citizens, but rather they are average people who join the war for their own reasons. This aspect of the game is actually pretty satisfying as the change of characters and stories keep the game fresh. You will play as a sniper, a tank specialist, and an escort person, as well as a soldier. Without giving away too much, the stories basically take the player to a different front. For example, the Russian missions take place in the epic Siege of Stalingrad, whereas the British missions take the player to North Africa, and the United States campaign is in Belgium. It should also be noted that all of the events in this game are true, so this game is accurate in following these events that took place in the war. The story is above that of other WWII shooters.

Now for the gameplay. This is where the game shines, but it is also where it takes a knife to the heart. This game is true to life. You will NEVER be alone in the missions. As in real war, you will always have a team to help you. You wouldn't know it from other WWII shooters, but lone men did not win the war. Far from it in fact. Also, with this aspect comes the A.I., and this does not disappoint. Team members are very smart. They will take cover every couple of seconds, and they will provide covering fire for you. With these smart members come the smart enemies. The enemies in this game are ruthless. They are smart, and they will provide a challenge. I tried to pull a MOH room-clearing tactic, but I got my ass handed to me. You will have to stick with your team to survive. The objectives are also good. Every mission has an objective that will stand out, and this adds to the fun factor of the game.

So, how about the knife to the heart. Let me say two words that will forever make my fist curl up into a ball. TANK and MACHINE GUNS! I will start with the tanks. In this game you will have the opportunity to drive a tank, and it is hard. You will have to steer, fire, and spot enemies at the same time, all while moving as fast a broke down truck. It is more frustrating than fun. The slow controls don't help. I know that it is a tank, but the missions with the tanks were way to difficult. And then there are those machine guns that will tear you apart. I died a number of times in this game because of a machine gun embankment. It would be easier if your rifle would actually hit the person firing the gun, but that would be too much to ask. Seriously, the machine guns are way to difficult to go up against, and these are where your teammates back out. Not once did they help me with a machine gun.

Now for the killer. This game is way to scripted. There are never any opportunities to go your own way. There is always a predetermined path for you to follow. This really is not that big of a deal, but scripted events develop into my favorite kind of gameplay, and that is trial and error. I hate trial and error, and so will you. When you die, which you will, you can just memorize what stupid mistake was made, and then you will have no problems. That is until you replay a mission 10 times, using trial and error each time to keep going. This is very irritating. Trial and error is not fun, and this game has a lot of it, so this is where the game loses the big points.

On to the visuals. This game is sort of there. It did get one thing right, and that is the scale of the war, and the scenery. The missions in this game are huge, and they have an epic feel to them, and this is fantastic. This brings me to the scenery. This game is ugly, but that is a good thing. This game perfectly shows the war how it was. In Stalingrad you will see rubble everywhere, and half buildings line the streets. The constant explosions will kill the well-done characters and you can watch them die in fluid animations. So, why are they sort of there? Well, these things can only take you so far. The texturing is awful, and some of the less important elements just aren't done. For example, trees are just plain ugly, as are automobiles, and other environmental objects. In a single sentence, this game is ambitious on the inside, but it looks dated on the outside. The guns look fairly good, as do dome of the games main vehicles, but it is not enough for me to say that this game looks great, because it doesn't,

The sound in this game is dead on. There is just too much to explain. All of the explosions, planes, gunfire, yelling, reloading, fires, water, tanks, radios, and just about everything else in the first 30 seconds of the game is great. The sounds remain as good throughout the game, and this helps to recreate the chaotic feel of the war as you will be distracted by the sounds, and if you even stop, you will die before you know it. The audio is simply amazing. Not one thing sounds out of place. Even the various accents in this game sound good, and very few games have national accents that compare to this game.

Hm, what next? Oh yeah. The replay in this game is... well, it is not there. This game lacks multiplayer, and this really kills the game because it is short. Some form of multiplayer would have really helped this game. There are very few missions that warrant a second play through, and even then, you will not receive anything for doing so. The missions aren't even that great the second or third or fourth time through as they are so scripted. This game will not last anyone more than a weekend.

Bottom line is this. If you love WWII shooters, you will like this game. If you want a challenging shooter, you will like this game. But I would highly advise a rental as this game will not take long to beat, and there is very little to do once it is beaten. This game doesn't present anything new, and it will just end up in the pile of mediocre WWII shooters available for the Gamecube. To sum it up, rent this game. Do not buy.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 02/22/05