Full Spectrum Warrior

"Great idea, not such a great game"

As I looked through my Official XBOX Mag. I saw a preview for Full Spectrum Warrior. The graphics looked insane, the gameplay looked unique and fun, and the ability to play on live sounded great. The day this game was released I got a copy, and a 5.1 surroud sound system to get in the mood of being in a battlezone. Once I plugged in the sound system, I put in FSW and was in shock...

Gameplay:5
At first it was cool. But then after some painfully boring training missions (incredibly long) I was in no mood to actually complete the missions for a while. You probably know how it works already but here it is anyway. You control two squads, sometimes three, to complete seemingly simple tasks. Moving to certain positions, rescuing injured soldiers, clearing enemy RPGs so tanks can move etc. Even with all of these different objectives, the game gets VERY repetitive. Move to cover, shoot, if the enemy is behind cover suppress (everyone in the team fires, causing the terrorist to duck) and move another team to kill. Sometimes you have to take out a tank, but that's almost the same. Move to cover, and get close enough to order an artillery strike. Now this sounds cool, but that's ALL YOU DO! Like I said, it gets VERY repetitive and boring. I don't have live yet so I can't comment there.

Story:7
This game tries to make you feel attached to your soldiers (not in that way). Each soldier has there own personality. The game is set in Zebekistan, what you imagine to be Iraq. This game was meant as a training aid for US soldiers, so there isn't much story other than missions that kind of lead into other missions.

Graphics:9
OK, the good stuff. Incredible graphics, from cars degrading under fire to ammo clips, everything is well detailed. The physics seem pretty good, other than grenades that seem to float in the air.

Sound:9
The 5.1 surround sound I bought totally enhanced the experience. I can't seem to connect the rear speakers though. Anyways, each weapon has it's own distinct sound, explosions sound clean, and the voice overs are great. Some of the comments of your team is kind of funny. Your grenadier is a white man who tries to be black and cusses a lot.

Other comments:
Once you beat this game, you feel like you've done it all. There are other difficulties, including the original training simulation, but I had no interest in playing the game again.
IMO rent this game.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 07/13/04