Review from a CASUAL GAMER...
Pros
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+ 256 players is definitely still an amazing feat and still wows me on how smooth the entire experience is. All game developers should take note on the incredible network robustness of this game. Even with everything this game has going on it is a relatively lag-free experience.
+ THE BEST tactical "non-hardcore" game experience so far on any video game console. With a GOOD squad, this game is extremely fun and can really immerse you in the "Us against the world" experience. The amount of detail from squad and platoon leader's orders and control makes this game the closest to achieving a real military echelon.
+ The community for this game continues to mature. Unlike other more popular gaming franchises this game brings a refreshing perspective to team work. There is a chance you will get into a series of games where it seems like absolute chaos but it adds to the game's charm. It is truely incredible to see how amazingly fast and efficient a well balanced team can storm through a base and equally incredible to see how miserably unorganized teams fail. Sometimes you are on the winning end of the rope...sometimes you aren't. If you can deal with this...you should definitely consider this game.
+ Relatively few glitches. Considering the number of players in each match there are relatively no game breaking glitches (Javelindom anyone?) in this game. I rarely see players trying to exploit map weaknesses or other "cheats".
+ Graphics. Don't believe the nonsense on most reviews/forums. The graphics are not bad in this game considering the scale. Sorry about always mentioning the scale of this game when it comes to graphics...but honestly to be FAIR you HAVE TO! There are still a few animations that annoy me i.e. grenade throws and knifing but overall great job on the graphics.
+ Very few campers. Although you will have occasional snipers that will annoy the hell out of you. Most players in this game are relatively mobile (not so much when defending...but thats the idea!). TDM is not a focus in this game and is only used to introduce new players to the controls to the game. IMO there should be a level cap to suppression and not allow higher level players to join that game type after a period of time.
Cons
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- Communication from Developer to Clients. One thing I feel that is completely odd is that both the instruction manual and website both lack proper communication in terms of game objectives, instructions/tips, and just general content. Full web integration for statistics and "shadow war" updates would have unquestionably taken this game to the top of the charts.
- No headset combo pack. For a game where communication is THE major key to victory a headset should have been included with every game. This is probably one the biggest oversights in terms of the game's production
- Melee. For some reason the knifing in this game still feels clunky. No matter what melee upgrades you get something still feels odd. Sorry I can't explain this more...but coming from other un-named FPS the melee in this game needs work.
- Unlocks. I almost left this out but since I have seen better methods to do unlocks I had to include it. The game should have separated weapon upgrades from skill upgrades. I should not have to choose between a weapon scope and better running...simply because those choices should be unrelated. More thought should have went into this. Also the weapon selection seems skimpy and it seems the only level 3 gun really worth having is the .50 Sniper
OVERALL...still the same as before... 8/10
SUGGESTION: STRONG BUY