Delta Force: Urban Warfare Preview

We recently had a chance to check out Novalogic's newest game in the Delta Force series, Delta Force: Urban Warfare. For those who aren't familiar with the origins of Delta Force, the members of the Special Forces Operational Detachment - DELTA are select recruits from the 82nd Airborne, Special Forces Green Berets, and US Army Rangers who are trained in hostage rescue, specialized reconnaissance, and other counterterrorism operations, and as such they are able to deal with the world's most dangerous threats. The game deals with the present-day threat of terrorism, and it places you in the role of John Carter, an experienced Delta Force operative who must single-handedly go undercover and break up a ring of terrorist groups who have banded together for the ill of the country.

Delta Force: Urban Warfare plays out in first-person, giving you a firsthand view of the environments that you'll be expected to become intimately familiar with. The game has a generally dark look to it--perhaps intended to convey the gravity of the player's situation--and it gives Delta Force: Urban Warfare a very gritty feel. There's plenty of tech lingo and nods to modern-day military accoutrements throughout--John is equipped with a PDA that feeds him floor plans and other useful tidbits of information, as well as high-tech listening and radio devices that allow him to get up-to-the-instant orders from the chain of command.

Exploring the opening stages in the current build of Delta Force: Urban Warfare is much like playing a handful of other console first-person shooters, although you have many more options at your disposal than in most. Visually, the different levels we've checked out have been full of complex geometry and detail, including fully decked-out offices and warehouse areas containing computers, forklifts, and plenty of intelligent enemy forces. The foes you'll encounter are familiar with the basics of combat tactics--they'll signal each other for help, duck behind corners and obstacles for cover, and create a troublesome nuisance if not dispatched stealthily.

Stealth is one of the foremost gameplay elements used in Delta Force: Urban Warfare, and the game gives players a number of abilities they can use to go undetected. For example, after taking down an enemy with a silenced pistol, you can drag the body to a secluded corner of a room, where it's unlikely to be noticed. Much like in Metal Gear Solid, you can attract foolhardy guards by creating noises, scraping you knife against a wall. Killing the lights before infiltrating a guarded hall is made possible with night-vision technology, which you can flip on at a moment's notice. And, of course, you can zoom in with any ranged weapon for a more precise shot.

There's a great level of realism in many aspects of Delta Force: Urban Warfare. If wounded enough, you will leave a trail of blood, which will alert enemies to your presence. To avoid getting caught in this way, these wounds can be stanched with med kits. You can also recover many types of equipment from defeated enemies, including Uzis, ammunition, keycards, and even radios that allow you to check in on enemy communications. However, if you are discovered using an enemy's radio, they will quickly change the frequency. Enemy AI has also been programmed with a fear factor, much like in Metal Gear Solid 2. If you get close enough to an enemy and draw your gun on him, he will become compliant and raise his hands in surrender.

There are a great deal of weapons to find and use throughout Delta Force: Urban Warfare, many of which need to be recovered from enemies, as they're far too unwieldy for a stealthy soldier to carry on the go. You can use several types of guns, many of which use alternate firing modes, such as full auto, semi-auto, and single shot. There are standard-issue rounds and depleted uranium armor-piercing rounds that can be used against an armored foe. You can make use of an electric stun gun for disabling enemies in a nonlethal manner, or a combat knife that kills silently, both in melee or when thrown. You can find many different types of grenades, including tear gas, smoke, flashbang, and fragmentary. There is also an assortment of different explosives, including satchel charges, C4 with remote detonators, and claymore proximity mines. For true explosive ability, there's even a LAW rocket launcher for taking out enemy installations or vehicles.

Novalogic's Delta Force: Urban Warfare should prove interesting to those who enjoy this particular brand of intrigue and tactics-focused combat. Currently in beta, Delta Force: Urban Warfare is on track for release later this year. We'll have more on the game as it approaches the end of its development cycle.