Official 'Full Spectrum Warrior' Impressions Thread

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 12:39 pm

I will be picking this up much later today, but I KNOW that some of you guys will have it sooner ('34' has it already) so I am hoping to read some good impressions...

I will post some ASAP too!

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 12:42 pm

Insert Pk's stiffy here:

DChaps · Post by **DChaps** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 1:05 pm

MSN Messenger just notified me that Badgun is currently playing Full Spectrum Warrior. Pretty cool. Start the impressions coming brother!

mixdj1 · Post by **mixdj1** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 1:25 pm

FedEx just dropped mine off here at the office. Unfortunately I won't get a chance to try it out for another five hours.

I'll post up some impressions this evening though.

mixdj1

Sport73 · Post by **Sport73** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 2:27 pm

I guess this is an example of the "No news is good news" philosophy...In that those that have the game must be enjoying it so much that they can't tear themselves away long enough to post about it.

I just picked up my copy at lunch, but I won't get to play until this damn thing called work gets out of the way.

High expectations for this evening.

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 3:32 pm

Ah what can I say. Great game! And I've only been doing the training missions. Just the sheer scope of how much control you have over these two teams with a simple controller is phenomenal. You can have them do everything but make you a sandwich. IGN complained about the game being short. AS much time as I spent on the training mission, I'm not worried. For anyone worried about not being able to actually fire the guns, don't be. It's just as satisfying to order an rpg hit as it is to fire one.

I saw that Slumberland was online with it, too so I'm sure he'll be along with his impressions.

I don't think I'd want to play online until I finished the mission myself so hopefully tonight I'll be looking for someone to go through the first mission with.

The game just screams polish...even the saves are implemented like a military order. Really cool game!

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 3:34 pm

Badgun wrote: You can have them do everything but make you a sandwich.

!

Classic

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 4:06 pm

I actually found the code for sandwich making and am enjoying a reuben right this very minute, courtesy of Pandemic.

The training mission sort of exhausted me, and I'm going to wait until I get further into the actual campaign before posting any real impressions. I was having trouble with the game not recognizing my command inputs for a while, but now that I'm past the training, and can place my cursor in places other than pre-determined spots, the problem has disappeared.

I like how many ethnicities are represented in the squad lineups, but did Silverman really have to have such a big nose?

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 4:07 pm

I've heard you can't "nudge" a particular soldier, and that when you give an order the entire group moves. Is that correct? To me at least, this seems like a negative but maybe it doesn't come across that way in the game.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 4:09 pm

Slumberland wrote: I like how many ethnicities are represented in the squad lineups, but did Silverman really have to have such a big nose?

If that's true, that's disappointing. I'm not being sarcastic either.

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 4:17 pm

I'm going to back away from giving some impressions because I've yet to step foot on the battlefield. The tutorial is at least 45 minutes long.

But it's worth it.
I'm on the war games stage of the tutorial, I believe this is the last stage. I have to replay it over because I lost one of my men when a tank gunned him down. I ordered my team behind a wood blockade, the tank shredded it in seconds with gunfire. As I was running for cover behind a building corner, I lost a man. Time to start that stage over again. The tutorial is mandatory and when you get done with it, you'll feel like you have the controls mastered. It's extremely helpful.

I'm so used to hearing a guy telling me what buttons to press that when I actually step foot out on the battlefield, I may be in for a rude awakening.
I had my doubts about this game, but so far am very pleased.

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 4:41 pm

Sully wrote:I'm going to back away from giving some impressions because I've yet to step foot on the battlefield. The tutorial is at least 45 minutes long.

But it's worth it.
I'm on the war games stage of the tutorial, I believe this is the last stage. I have to replay it over because I lost one of my men when a tank gunned him down. I ordered my team behind a wood blockade, the tank shredded it in seconds with gunfire. As I was running for cover behind a building corner, I lost a man. Time to start that stage over again. The tutorial is mandatory and when you get done with it, you'll feel like you have the controls mastered. It's extremely helpful.

I'm so used to hearing a guy telling me what buttons to press that when I actually step foot out on the battlefield, I may be in for a rude awakening.
I had my doubts about this game, but so far am very pleased.

Yeah, that training mission can be a b*tch. You lose one guy and it's over. One of the best, if not the best tutorials I've ever seen in any game.

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 5:04 pm

sportdan30 wrote:I've heard you can't "nudge" a particular soldier, and that when you give an order the entire group moves. Is that correct? To me at least, this seems like a negative but maybe it doesn't come across that way in the game.

You can give individual cover orders to your soldiers, but that's about it. As far as "nudging" a particular soldier, I don't really see the need for it here. If you give an order for a company to go to a corner, the team leader is usually the first to move followed by the others. It's not like they all get up and run at the same time. When you watch it, you will see it looks very organized the way it's implemented. Anytime you order your soldiers to go behind something, they will always do a visual search for enemies once they are set.

Could they have done some things better? I'm sure they could have, but to fit so many commands onto one little controller is astounding. To me the sheer beauty of this game is there are no twitch movements whatsoever. You take the time to plan your next move and then you execute it. Those Quake and Counterstrike players are going to be in for a rude awakening if they didn't read up on this game before buying it.

Hopefully now that Pandemic has broken the ice, we will see more games like this in the future. The reason why I never finish any of the Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six games is it always comes down to twitch shooting and I am simply awful at that. Here I don't have to worry. This is truly a brilliant game. My only complaint so far is that there is no variation in the terrain. It's all done in a hot, desert like city like Baghdad. As a matter of fact, this game absolutely mirrors the invasion of Iraq. You have to remove the leader from power and during the intro, one of the soldiers asks another, "Do you think they know we're here to help?".

From what I understand, the game supposedly takes place over a 2 day period so I guess that's why there's no variation in locales. Either way, that's my only complaint and a little one at that.

I got a little ways into the first real mission and I'm going back now to see how far I can get.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 5:10 pm

definate rental for me. I suck at the ghost recon games. This seems to be better to manage your guys though. I saw a guy at EB playing it. It looked awesome. the blurring for questionable areas was a great idea.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 5:31 pm

I'm mildly concerned about Gamespot's 7.7 review. I know enough not to place a lot of stock in one review, but the things the reviewer mentions confirm some of the fears I personally had about the title.

Basically, he says it plays like a linear puzzle solver. There is a very narrow 'right way' of doing things, and it's basically trial and error until you find it. Yes, many other games are linear and still quite good (splinter cell, for one) but at least in those you are responsible for executing the actions yourself.

There also doesn't seem to be anything in the way of advanced AI, as from what I gather the enemy is pretty stationary, and it's up to you to go dig him out.

Other silly things like being absolutely 100% safe in 'cover areas' would seem to be groan inducing too. You can engage in a firefight with an enemy, with you both behing partial cover, and there is NO chance either one of you will take a hit.

I'll stop now, because I don't have the game yet. But I think I've been warned enough to wait for gamefly rather than runnng to EB tonight.

Keep those impressions coming, though, of course!

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 6:37 pm

webdanzer wrote:Other silly things like being absolutely 100% safe in 'cover areas' would seem to be groan inducing too. You can engage in a firefight with an enemy, with you both behing partial cover, and there is NO chance either one of you will take a hit.

I haven't read the Gamespot review, but I agree on this point. I just made it through the first mission, and while it's comforting to know that I can't get shot peering around a corner, the reality is that sometimes my guys look VERY shootable, but the shield symbol above their heads guarantees immunity. This extends to enemies. There are times I wish I could jump behind the sight of the gun in this game, cause I just know I could get that guy.

I suppose if your men were sharpshooters, it would take a bit away from the out-think and out-flank nature of the game.

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 7:55 pm

Overall thoughts, slumber?

Is it simply a 3D RTS where you control only 2 units?

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 7:59 pm

I think some of you may be missing the point with the cover situation. When you are engaged with an enemy and you both have cover, you have very little chance of hitting each other. With bullets whizzing around a soldier doesn't have the time to truly aim at the enemy, he fires into an area. In this type of situation, fire is used for diversion and cover until somebody can get a clear shot.

As far as my experience with this game is concerned, I'm having an absolute blast with it. It's very engrossing and tense. It is everything I had hoped for out of this game and I think it will lead to some killer co-op sessions with fellow DSP brethren. I also think it will improve our GR:IT and R6:3 gaming quite a bit.

Parker · Post by **Parker** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 8:00 pm

LOL, you all are really looking for a reason not to try this one. I don't think the single-player would hold my interest for long, not that I am usually interested in military shooters. But it seems it would make a fine rental.

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 8:51 pm

Oh MAN!!!!!!!!

Gamespot's review brings up ALL of the fears/concerns that I had about this game. I am really re-thinking purchasing this one now. I usualy do not put much stock in reviews unless they complain about my exact concerns. F*ck! I could tell there was some questionable AI from the gameplay videos but thought that might just be that one part. It appears that the game is riddled with poor AI and scripted actions. I might have to rent this one first...

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 9:11 pm

It comes down to this: Who do you put more stock in, some RPG geek reviewer at Gamespot or one of your DSP brothers who actually knows and likes military games?

I know my preference.

Take care,
PK

Spooky · Post by **Spooky** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 9:32 pm

pk500 wrote:It comes down to this: Who do you put more stock in, some RPG geek reviewer at Gamespot or one of your DSP brothers who actually knows and likes military games?

I know my preference.

Take care,
PK

I know PK, it sounds like I am jumping ship just becasue of one review, BUT, he tapped right into my concerns of the game of which NO one else is mentioning ANYTHING about. That worries me.

I might be going overboard, but...

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 10:15 pm

Yes the game is linear, show me one that's not. Even the Ghost Recon and Splinter Cell games are linear when you get down to it. I haven't read the Gamespot review, but I did read the IGN review and they gave it a 9.2. I'm not a huge fan of IGN or Gamespot, but from my 5 hours of play, I'll say the IGN review is a pretty accurate summation of this game.

As for being shot while under cover, it's happened to me several times. My guys lean out to take a shot and get hit in the process. If I find a guy that's hunkered down and you can't take him, hit him with an rpg. Usually the splash damage will kill him if not draw him out where your guys can.

Finally, the AI...I'm not sure what they are talking about here...I've actually seen the AI do some different things when I've had to replay a mission more than once.

I am now into the 4th mission and I've found the missions varying enough despite being so linear. I absolutely love the banter between the soldiers. They are constantly talking sh*t to each other and it's hilarious. Someone from Pandemic definitely spent some time with some real troops before they wrote the dialogue.

If you can't appreciate the polish and sheer genius behind this game, don't buy it because you will surely be disappointed. If you look at the game for what it is...innovating, breathtaking, and fun, then you just might get your $50 worth. I'm really curious about how much and how often Pandemic is going to give us downloadable content. That will tell the tale of how long I will keep this game.

One feature that no one has mentioned that to me is simply incredible is the ability to watch a replay of your failed missions, fast forward to where you screwed up, and then hop back in and do things a different way. Sure beats the hell out of playing the entire level all over again. A great way of doing things...hope other developers try this.

If anyone wants to play some co-op through the first couple of levels, give me a shout. I should be on Xbox Live a good hour before the Toca 2 race.

GROGtheNailer · Post by **GROGtheNailer** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 11:13 pm

The comments here are good enough for this dude. Also remember there is a harder level plus the fact that Gamespot reviews usually suck hind tit...i'm picking this up tmorrow when it gets here.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Wed Jun 02, 2004 11:40 pm

Badgun summarized my feelings pretty well. This is by far one of the coolest games to come down the pipe in quite a while. In a day of "been there, done that" games coming out everywhere you look it is an absolute joy to play a game so different from anything else I've ever played. The dialogue is some of the best I've ever heard in a game and you really start to really like the soldiers you are ordering around and really want to keep them out of harms way.