Music, graphics, Xbox live
Across the various Xbox community forums I’ve seen plenty of conflicting comments about the online experience of Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers. Problems joining games have led to some quitting the experience before its started, whereas others say it’s a truly unique, fantastic experience. Online, I personally experienced no lag and felt that the game was a far more compelling game than the original. The highlight of online play is the Adversarial mode, which allows you to take the role of a terrorist against the U.S. led army and gives you the ability to recruit civilians into your group– now that’s what I’m talking about!
There are also a range of other modes, including Co-op play on objective based missions and the promise of further downloads to extend the longevity of online play.
Graphically, Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers contains some of the original problems, but still looks great. The soldier animations utilise the power of the Xbox and soldiers move around in a realistic fashion. There are a few clipping issues that take place when team members are hit in close proximity to each other and soldiers don’t always react to being killed in the way they should; at times they'll pass through each other’s bodies. The varying environments look superb but become repetitive after a few missions.
Click for larger imageThe musical score was written specifically for the game and is very impressive. It helps to create tension in the appropriate places and flows along with the gameplay with a blend of Middle Eastern music and orchestral sounds. Weapons and explosions also sound majestic and add to the realism of the fierce battles.
Despite some tense battles, Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers is as slow as the Friday afternoon rush hour. The repeated attempts to crack a mission are annoying, and the save system means that you’ll often be playing the same sequences over and over again with A.I appearing in exactly the same places. You'll have two choices, keep trying to beat the enemy using the same tactics, or try something completely different. At times it feels like those boring journeys that we take to work everyday; sometimes you’ll take a different route to the office for a change of scenery, but 9 times out of 10 you’ll take the same journey and see the same people in the same places doing exactly the same things. At the end you'll get the same result, a frustrating journey to your end destination. Don’t get me wrong, Full Spectrum Warrior : Ten Hammers is not as bad as travelling to and from the office, but it’s a bit dull and over complicated for those who don’t want to embrace the tactical nature of the game and the difficult gameplay.
Fans of the series will still get something from the journey, even if it’s only for the fact that you can drive tanks, or play as a terrorist in the ‘Adversarial’ online mode, whereas new fans will still find some satisfaction within Full Spectrum Warrior : Ten Hammers to make it an enjoyable experience at times. Ultimately, it’s a game that you’ll probably play through once, if you have the patience. If you’re hooked up to Xbox Live, then Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers has more longevity.
If the friendly A.I. were more responsive the game would be improved ten-fold.
Currently, Full Spectrum Warrior : Ten Hammers is not compatible with the Xbox 360, but hopefully it will be shortly!
Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers is now available on PC, PS2 and Xbox.
Pros
Driving tanks
Interior environments
Online play
Excellent musical score
Cons
Poor Friendly A.I
Trial and error missions
Steep learning curve
A decent, deep strategy shooter that is let down by the friendly A.I
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Full Spectrum Warrior :Ten Hammers is available now, click the following links to order:Play.com
