Dropship: United Peace Force

"A game based around VTOL aircraft? Am I dreaming?"

I didn't hear a thing about this game until i saw it in the shop one day on the test machine. It looked inviting so i gave it a go. All i can say is, whadda game!

First of all the graphics are fantastic. They're clean and sharp. There are no muddy textures, badly done models, glitches (as far as i can see anyway) or slowdown. Brilliant. The explosions, how can i describe them. After seeing countless limp, lifeless, uninteresting explosions in other games, these come as a refreshing change. They've really got some oomph behind them and ensure everything goes out with a bang, and a big one at that.

The sound is just as good. From the minigun bolted onto you craft, to the sounds of the vehicles on the ground to the radio chatter, everything measures up quite nicely. There aren't many different music tracks in this game but the ones that are there are well done and have a suitable military theme to them. You really need a good sound system to go with this.

Now for the actual gameplay. For the most part you'll be flying your Dropship, a large VTOL (vertical take off and landing) ship equipped with a large armament. In this you can switch between ''flight'' mode, basically like an aircraft flies usually, and ''hover'' mode, where you errr, hover.
In your Dropship you'll most likely be carrying tanks and the like to transport across the landscape to designated areas so they can participate in offences or defending allied bases. Its also your job to keep them safe while theyre on the ground, which is easier said than done. This game is VERY hard, and some mission could take 4-5 or even more attempts. For some missions you'll actually be part of the assault which is a little more exciting.
Other than your transport Dropship you get to control a variety of other vehicles. These range from more maneuverable fighter class dropships to tanks and humvees.
The ground units are a nightmare to control, constantly sliding all over the place. These sections are probably the least enjoyable parts of the game.
At some points you get to control of the aircraft/humvee while your copilot drives. These sections, while a lot of fun the first few times, get boring quite quickly.
As far as gameplays concerned, the real meat of the game is in the flying, which is ace.
The game isnt too long, containing 4 missions each with 4 sections, but this is made up in the difficulty of the game and the length of the missions, some taking up to 15 minutes to play through. If you don't like your games to be too much of a challenge, you shouldnt bother with this or you'll end up cheating your way through.

Overall this game is a rare gem. While some parts of the game didnt turn out too well (the driving) the flying is great. The ability to hover adds a new dimension to combat flight sims. This game is well worth picking up.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/23/02, Updated 06/23/02