As fun as some parts are, it really doesn't make up for the amount of frustration brought upon you...
The emphasis of this game is not turn-based like UFO at all. It's real-time with the ability to pause the game at any time and make command decisions if the need arises.
Gameplay
I want to start this portion by saying that the installed version of my game has a bug in it from the offset that adds to some of the frustration I experienced. Apparently, due to one of the many codecs my PC needs whenever the game repeats a music file I have to wait 25seconds for it to reload in which time the game freezes. And the only fix for it? Remove all except basic MicroSoft codecs. Fantastic.
According to the games forums they had experts that helped them with the weapon stats. That stinks more than the local water treatment centre in mid-summer. I'd like to see anyone survive a direct hit with a .50cal shot let alone continue fighting. So realism is out of the question right away. But that didn't make the game less fun, just meant that you had to play about with the game to see how things would react and that took some time. Things like a single RPG7 round completely annihilating an apartment block. Sweet moses!
Pathfinding is a tad awry as well. Vehicles are often getting lost, driving into buildings or taking the long way round that means driving right into the minefield you made an effort to avoid. Means a lot of shift-clicking to queue commands which should not even happen. Soldiers are just the same. You order them to sneak around the back of a house as to avoid being shot to crap by the BTR you're trying to avoid and what does he do? Walks around the front of the house to get to the back. I don't usually scream at my PC but I found myself doing so in abundance.
Another niggle that could raise a buddhas blood pressure to dangerous heights is the grenade throwing. The system itself is fine but stand too close to a wall or building and for some reason your soldier just launches it into that object and blows both it and himself up. You have to stand quite a way back. Another thing you have to learn to do.
It's not all bad. Although the game is riddled with annoyances it does have some perks. The story is somewhat interesting. Not very inspired but it at least makes you want to continue.
The fights can be quite exhilarating. Once you've placed all your men in their locations and set the ball rolling, seeing the fight turn your way fills you with a certain amount of pride. More because it seems the game is fighting against you constantly that overcoming all the bugs and weirdness that you've managed to beat the enemy. Seeing your decoy lure a T55 tank down a street only to have your two TOW humvees zoom in from the rear with complete success is something to behold and the amount of relief you feel is almost tangible. This is usually because you have to out-think the enemy rather than out-gun. You're rarely given the means to outright fight the enemy so you have to be inventive. This is where the game really comes into it's own. Superior weaponry doesn't always mean victory. It's all about superior tactics. And that is what is keeping me playing it.
Graphics
Seeing as though the game is almost 4 years old now, it would be unfair for me to rate the graphics by todays comparison. Back then a 3D strategy game was something quite new and even today the graphics look quite pleasent. We're not talking Act of War level, we're looking, again, at UFO Aftermath level. Everything looks like it's supposed to be, there's a few niggles with appearing textures but I can let that slid as this happens in a lot of games and the cause is usually to aid texture compression.
My only real nerks are the models for the AK-74 and MP5. They looks similar but they're not AK-74s or MP5s. The MP5s all have straight 9mm magazines which isn't that common. The more common curved magazine would've been better. To be honest, it looks more like a shortened G3 variant.
Sound
Which side of the coin will it land...
The sound effects are fantastic. The weapon sounds, although not perfect, are pretty good and you could believe that it was an actual AK-74.
Now...the voice acting. Oh dear god. What is it with these european games and their english voice acting. Some of the characters I can understand being from Texas or the American Mid-West but almost everyone in post-apocolyptic Russia is American. There's the odd Brit thrown in at various points. To be blunt, it's rubbish. It sounds like one guy putting on different voices. I die a little inside when a cutscene comes on.
Value
At the time of release, I'm very glad I didn't buy it like I was going to. The game still feels unfinished after all these years. It had so much potential yet fell flat on its face in the eyes of the gaming community. Pick it up now in the bargain bin or 2nd hand on eBay or Amazon and you'll get a good day or two of gaming.