Conflict Desert Storm E3 2005 Hands On

We got a chance to play Conflict Desert Storm, a mobile game from Kayak Interactive that covers six of the missions from the console version of the game. Although the game is primarily an isometric shooter, there are a few vehicular combat missions. In the regular gameplay, you almost always play with a teammate, who will help to fight as well as heal you when necessary. You control only one character at a time. The AI will take care of the other, but you can switch between the two if it suits your strategy. Most of the on-foot action is exploratory, and your general objective is to follow the map indicator to the next location, killing any enemies you encounter along the way. Healing is very important in a war zone, and you can be healed only by your teammate, so there's a real emphasis on cooperative play in this game. Another important strategic element of gameplay is detecting mines, so on specific levels, as the game indicates, you might have to have your mine detector more ready than your weapon to ensure that you're traveling safely.

When in a vehicle, your objective is merely to concentrate on shooting, as the car is driven automatically for you. Your weapons of choice are rockets and machine guns, and you do have to worry about return fire, so it's likely that you'll have to prioritize the order in which you take out your foes. The game has several different environments, including the standard desert fare, airfields, and SAM (surface-to-air missile) sites. The graphics suitably represent the motif of the time, and it's apparent that everyone you encounter is to be treated as a hostile unless it's otherwise stated.

Conflict Desert Storm is slated for release soon, so stay tuned for a full review of the game.