Full Spectrum Warrior Review

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We check out the PC version of THQ and Pandemic's tactical strategy game.

Full Spectrum Warrior is a really good game. It's presented well, fun, looks good, sounds good, and has a good premise. Converting it from the Xbox to the PC didn't do too much to the gameplay. Aside from adding a couple of levels, making the authentic difficulty level readily available, improved graphics, and changing the controls over from the Xbox to make them easier for PC users (better than the Xbox), the game is basically exactly the same. It has the same mechanics, ideas, and style. That's a good thing, though for PC audiences that are used to complex RTSs, it might not have quite the same appeal as it did to some console players. And the one thing that all gamers should remember, or realize at least, is that Full Spectrum Warrior is a strategy game, not a shooter. Don't think that you'll be going in and shooting the gun off yourself. This is strictly tactical, no action. That doesn't mean it's bad however, it's actually a very entertaining experience a bit different than what most strategy gamers are used to.

Full Spectrum Warrior is good for a number of reasons, the biggest of which are polish and presentation. From a superficial perspective, a view that I'm intimately familiar with, FSW has a nice face and lovely body. It isn't going to stand toe to toe with any of the giants like DOOM 3 or the upcoming Half-Life 2, but it's impossible to say this game looks bad. You can kinda tell that the game was built with the Xbox in mind, but it transfers well, thanks in part to the lighting bloom effect that's become so popular as of late. It definitely adds a quality to the light that makes the area look a tiny bit more realistic.

Animations for all characters in the game are phenomenal though. They're smooth, they transfer between positions well, and create a sense of realism that FSW needed to be successful. Giving orders to squads sets off a string of detailed animations that look quite lifelike and are a pleasure to watch.


Not only are the visuals of the actual game very nice, but the way the experience is presented is also well worthy of note. All mission loading screens begin with a nice satellite transmission that zooms in and in and in past atmosphere and into city level and finally on top of your men. This little tidbit sets the scene pretty well and gives players their first glance at the area in which they'll be fighting.

The soldiers in each of the squad also make the game more worth being a part of. They've each got their own personalities and are presented well at the beginning of the campaign. This short intro makes us realize that these are supposed to be like real people to you. You're supposed to want to take care of them and be pissed and upset when they get shot. Personality doesn't take a position over gameplay, but it most definitely adds to the fun. Hearing quibbles and fun little discussions between the soldiers is a great touch that lightens the mood and makes things more intense. When you hear the same guy that just cracked a joke cussing and scared, you'll be more inclined to want to help them out of whatever sticky situation you've gotten them into.

Diving past skin deep takes us a little farther into a game particularly good at handling the squad as a functioning and cooperative group. Obviously, these kinds of fire teams are what make our Army and Marine men and women so effective in combat. As a player, you'll be in command of two marine squads, Alpha and Beta (along with the occasional extras), running various missions in a fictional country called Zekistan. Controlling these groups in tandem is quite easy and made easier by the inclusion of the mouse over the Xbox controller.

While the controller wasn't really bad, using the mouse is just a lot easier for pinpointing where you'd like your troops to go. The entire game uses a few keystrokes and a lot of mouse, making the experience something that almost any gamer will be able to play. The only problem is that it's still difficult to always get your guys going exactly where you'd like them to go. If you're on one side of a car and you'd like your guys to go on the other side of the car, it's pretty difficult to do that thanks because of the limitation of only being able to move to a place directly in the group you're trying to move's line of sight. The car is there. I know there's another side. Why can't I move there?

It's not like that deficiency detracts in a gigantic way from the gameplay, but occasionally you'll find yourself wondering why there wasn't an easy way to do that as your men get shot for being on the wrong side of cover.

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