Full Spectrum Warrior Updated Impressions

Real-world military settings are extremely popular for computer and video games right now, but Pandemic Studios' upcoming tactical game, Full Spectrum Warrior, wasn't created to cash in on this trend. In fact, it wasn't even created to be a mainstream video game. It started, instead, as an internal training aid for the United States Army and was later adapted to make it a retail product. But since the game has its roots in the US Army, you can bet it will still feature plenty of challenging and highly realistic tactical action.

Watch the flanking tactic in action. Double-click the video window for a full-screen view.

In Full Spectrum Warrior, you'll command two small fire teams of soldiers on a grueling series of missions in situations modeled after real-world conflicts. The new updates released on the game cover two critical tactics in small-scale-infantry combat: flanking maneuvers and stacking. Flanking requires a commander to order his first fire team, Alpha, to lay down covering fire while his second fire team, Bravo, heads for cover at or near an enemy's flanks. Once Bravo Team is in place, a small enemy position can usually be effectively and successfully contained.

The second tactic covered is infantry stacking, which is an important formation in urban-combat situations. In this tactical maneuver, a fire team traverses an alley or some other area that's bounded on one side--usually by a wall--by moving in a "stack," which is a single-file line in which each soldier faces outward at a different angle while strafing along the side of the wall. This allows four troops to cover a wide radius of fire on the move, while simultaneously allowing them to use the wall for cover. Watch infantry stacking in action here.

Full Spectrum Warrior is scheduled for release later this year.