Reviewed: November 19, 2005
Reviewed by: Tyler Whitney

Publisher
Ubisoft

Developer
Gearbox Software

Released: October 26, 2005
Genre: FPS
Players: 2 / 4
ESRB: Mature

7
8
8
7
7.8

Supported Features

WW2 games are all the rage these days, and why not? They combine cinematic appeal, with a gritty real-life storyline that can reach across generations to enthrall. So get your boots laced up, your chin strapped tightened, and your BAR locked and loaded, we are going to get a little messy…

The interface should also feel very familiar, you still have the same abilites to move and command your team as before, such as flanking maneuvers, all out assaults and so on. It’s an intuitive one at that. With the click of a button you have a simple variable icon that allows for distinct orders, not to mention the birds-eye view commander mode, that stops all the action to bust out the real “stratigery.”

You can wield up to two fire teams, as well as a freaking tank to stand on, ripping out massive swaths of bullets from the .50cal machinegun. I would often just lay down a suppressive base of fire, and send out my units ahead, to probe, flush, and flank.

This formula can work for pretty much the entire game, and is true to real life Army doctrines. It is important to note you can’t just run in like John Rambo and spray bullets everywhere-you will die, and very fast at that. You have to be patient, use the terrain and your personnel wisely, and often you will have to progress in stages, such as taking out a bunker first, then moving adjacent to it, knocking out an anti-tank team to allow your tank support to move up, before you storm the villa holding the entrenched German garrison. Rinse and repeat…

If it sounds like more of the same, well you're right on the money. But at least it’s quality repetition, not to mention, who ever said it was glamorous to be in the military anyway? You should be lucky you aren’t marching all day, or digging foxholes for a General’s inspection.

The real key to all of this though, is the suppression factor of the enemy. As you continue to pour on the covering fire, a little icon will pop up above their head, revealing how suppressed they are. And even though I did say you couldn’t just rush in headlong, you will still have to bear your fair share of killing. Fairly simplistic enemy A.I. helps this too. They will often use cover, and never really just stand there in the open firing from the hip, but they often seem to just sit there and wait for you to attack. They rarely will regroup, outflank your corner etc.

The game design is set up for you to overcome them, not the other way around. Even the pathing doesn’t allow for such non-linear options anyways. On top of this, they can’t hit the broadside of a barn, or your Sherman tank for that matter. Conversely, your squad mates don’t fare much better. On more than one occasion they seem to get hung up on corner, or take a slightly off beat-and dangerous-path to their objective, living you cursing and short of breathe, as you scramble after them. This is yet again another reason to stick with your big gun tank if you have it, that way, you won’t be run over by it either... Thank heaven for those checkpoints is all I have to say.

Environments are pretty varied, but more often than not, you will be moving in a structured path the entire time, from a confrontation with a whole German platoon, to running smack dab into an armored column. Buildings and other battlefield features look as such, broken down, burned out and scarred beyond repair.

The performance does chug at times too, mainly during really intense firefights, something kind of odd considering the previous game didn’t seem to have this issue. They did seem to buff up the lighting effects, especially the weapons effects and sunlight.

The voice acting is also solid, whether it is the believable dialogue in the cut scenes, or the numerous shouts and quips during the action. Gearbox also did a nice job of capturing the war-torn ambience of the front line, from far off artillery, planes buzzing overhead and so on, it’s really top notch indeed.

Along with this, there are several other game modes; such as timed assault, forcing you to dispatch enemies in a certain time limit, and a nearly insane mode to complete several missions on only a single life. The objective based multiplayer, for 2-4, is also compelling, trudging you through nearly twenty maps. You have to be more on your toes this time around, as your opponent has the very real-and deadly- ability to out flank, and pin you down. Gotta love the life of the “Green Machine” eh?