the highly underrated,and best fps of 2008!!!
my first exprience of playing this great piece of video entertainment extravaganza was with my friend, who was the only source which revealed the game's exsistence. i was somewhat reluctant at first to play, what i regarded at the time, a cod 4 knock off, but fortunately, my friend persuaded me saying that i would like it ( and the fact that the only alternative was resistance: fall of men which really is overrated). the power lighted, the controller was turned on, and thus begin the 6 hours of the greatest enjoyment in that summer.
however, my first expression was somewhat of a mixed one: the colorful and artistic visual and voice acting were beyond excellent, but the technical graphics were grainy-like, and the controls were unfamiliar to me, even through i have played almost every fps that came out in 2007 on the ps3 and the xbox 360. however, as soon as they appeared, the issues soon vanished: the controls works greatly and logically as you become later more accustomed to it, and the graphics really didn't bother me as we started to blast the Russian mercs.
conveniently this, links to my next point. the gameplay on this is superb, not only because of the fact that you can, as strongly advertised, blow up every building, vehicles, walls etc,. in the game, but the mechanics are actually very fun (yeah remember the word 'fun' ?) it makes me remember the days where not every game feels like a second virtual life ( see world of war-craft), the feeling of great joy, as i rocket propelled my spartan on a cliff and destroys every thing except the seemingly invulnerable vehicles in halo combat evolved on the PC, or the platforming madness in psychonaut. however in doing so it sacrifices realism, which i give more credit for, rather than to shun it, for as demonstrated by games such as dragon rising, too much realism in a game just displeasure and discourages your customers
most importantly the difficulty of the game is sublimely mastered: constant death( in the beginning of the game) is balanced by instant re-spawn, overwhelming number of enemies are susceptible to great smart friend AIs. in short the game is challenging, but project numerous ways of tackling the challenges for the player, such as a huge array of weapons, and greatly powered vehicles.
the story of this game is just as enjoyable and entertaining as its gameplay. it is , as it is the strongest point of this single-player, also fun. Each characters of this game is notable and memorable, and surprisingly relate-able.(my all time favorite is haggard, a clear comic relief character, who contribute great humor in the game). not wanting to give too much away, you are basically starting off as a raw recruit who is assigned to the 'bad company' which is ironically filled with a bunch of 'great chums'. the story takes off when you soon find mercenary gold and decides to go AWOL with your mates...
Like its predecessors, and its current fps competitors, the multiplayer of the game is superb and the main reason of getting the game. it include mainly 2 game mode (granted, the variety of the play-list let the game down somewhat), gold rush and conquest. both of this game mode involves 24 players with 2 teams. any one who is a fps gamer would adjust immediately to the gaming as well as the ranking system.
and lastly, the music of the game is magnificent, and create the mood for the solo and multiplayer game mode. and like the story it is lighthearted and very motivational when playing.
To conclude, the game is simply sublime, and i highly recommend on getting the game even if it's relatively old. it was a shame, that no one nominated the game for the game of the year of 2008, and since it's very affordable now, maybe you want try it. hope you enjoyed reading this review as i did writing it.
p.s well done DICE, and good luck continuing your great work in the future.