after being a devoted delta force fan for years this may be the game that kills the magic.
unfortunately, with delta force xtreme 2, there doesn't seem to be an emphasis on making any aspect of the game particularly good. in fact, most elements of this game will leave you scratching your head wondering if novalogic has ever heard of play testers.
graphically speaking the game is what i've come to expect from the df series. dated, ugly textures and animations that looked pretty nifty in 1995 but look just horrible now. the game engine seems to have an inherent choppiness and the visuals lack any sort of immersive character, leaving you feeling disconnected from the action you're supposed to be experiencing.
the game play itself, which as i said has always been the focus of delta force, seems to be ruined by a slew of bad decisions. for example, you have infinite respawns in the single player campaign and after dying you will come back to life with full ammo and health at the last checkpoint you crossed. oh, and all the people you killed will still be dead. if the dull repetitive nature of the action weren't already doing it, this would entirely destroy any sense of urgency or challenge from the game play. some of the respawn points seem very poorly chosen as well. in one map after getting gunned down by a group of hostiles in a small group of buildings, i respawned about 5 feet from the trio of bad guys who had just killed me.
this brings to my next peeve. after years of releasing delta force games isn't it time to update the ai? i'm pretty sure these bad guys are the exact same dudes i fought in delta force 1 in different clothes. you still have soldiers running straight at you from any distance and far too frequently getting stuck on walls and in corners because really all they can do is attempt to run straight at you regardless of distance or obstacles.
all this being said, i did enjoy an hour or two of multiplayer but this game also seems to be geared towards creating incessant lag. i tried several different servers ( 2 of which were actually populated) and found that no matter what ping i was supposed to be getting (usually 50 -70) the in game lag burps were too severe to get any enjoyment out of a match. this is probaby why theres only about 100 people playing this game online and its a shame because the multiplayer actually has the potential to be quite impressive.
so after being a delta force fan and defending the honor of the series i have enjoyed since its inception countless times, i have to concede that with this installment novalogic has utterly disappointed. while other game studios seem to be pushing forward novalogic is intent on stagnating somewhere in the late 90's. it will be ineresting to see if the upcoming delta force: angel falls can save the franchise after a release as lackluster as this. if not, angel falls may well be delta force's swan song.