The genre of WWII shooters was thoroughly overplayed by 2005. This is not to say that there weren't a heap of incredibly worthwhile titles amidst the horde (namely the Call of Duty and Brothers In Arms series in my books). Whilst I came across this game I was perusing the titles in the Walmart bargain bins, just a mass of general crap fills these bins for those who do not already know. Whilst attempting to wade through the filth I happened to see this title and it stuck in the back of my mind. I, as a gamer, like to do a little research on games that I am pondering buying so I did the research on this little gem. Gamespot gave it quite a fair ranking and I figured the price was right. What I noted most was that the average feedback ratings were nice and high so I picked it up. I quickly found that its gameplay was incredibly addicting. The basic premise is that you are an American soldier sent in by the OSS to stop the Russian NKVD from stealing the German's atomic bomb plans. It basically facets as a prelude to the Cold War. It is also a nice change to be firing at a different enemy than the good ol' generic German. So you are sent on plenty of missions that have you eliminating Russian officials, helping cover attacks on supply stations, or the initial recon that has you taking out Russians in pillboxes and much much more. I shall start with the graphics. It must be noted that this game is a value game from 2005 so don't go into it expecting to see graphics on par with F.E.A.R. or Oblivion. However once you turn on Anti-Aliasing and Anisotropic Filtering the graphics are nothing to worry about. Some of the characters and textures are reused consistently and the play areas aren't exactly spectacular in detail but they don't get in the way either. It gives the feel of a usual WWII game with lots of earthy tones and blasted apart rubble. Now for the gameplay. This is where the game picks up but I will save the good for last. The only bad that I have to say is that sometimes the hit detection is a little off and the way your character runs is a little awkward to the point where it has the slight sense that you're driving a car (but only in the vaguest sense). Now to the good. The game is played from the Third Person Perspective so you can see your soldier and the weapons he is carrying which generally defaults to a sniper rifle and silenced pistol at the beginning of a level. The sniping is where this game truly shines. I was very pleased to see that the developers decided to make the sniping a little more realistic in that you have to gauge for wind, distance, gravity, physical position, etc. It makes lining up your shot more difficult and forces you to be patient waiting for the right moment to pull the trigger. If you happen to aim well enough for a good head shot the game gives you a nice bullet time view of your bullet flying through the air, penetrating your enemy's skull and blasting it apart in a shower of crimson blood. In addition to the sniper rifle and pistol there are weapons from the dead you can use (PPSH, MP40, all that sort). The grenades are worth mention just because they give you tripwire grenades which you can use to cut off possible flanking positions. The enemy A.I. is for the most part solid, especially on the harder difficulty levels. They will make good use of cover and fire from the cover when they see the opportunity. I had one shot where I managed to place a shot neatly between a steel bar and a concrete pillbox the enemy was hiding behind and hit him squarely through the right eye. They can also spot you fairly easily if you don't use cover effectively. Your player can't take too much punishment from bullets before he dies but there are both health packs and bandages that you can requisition from supply stations and enemy posts. The sound in the game is solid as well. The soundtrack isn't overly powerful but it does the trick effectively. The music keeps the tension and feeling. It also changes sometimes depending on the situations you're in, whether it be a last stand against a horde of enemies or waiting to pull the trigger on your mark. The sound effects are well done with gun cracks, the whizzes and pings of bullets blasting the rubble around you. Rumbles of tanks, shouts of enemies and allies, the death scream of the unfortunate victim of your placed shot, everything you'd expect. In conclusion this is one game that is well worth your money to pick up if you have the patience to be a sniper. Run and gunners should turn their attention elsewhere because you won't find that kind of action dominating this terrific game.
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