Delta Force: Urban Warfare (PlayStation)

...hardware was undeniably ageing, Novalogic's Delta Force: Urban Warfare project was fast developing into something even PS2 magazines couldn't ignore.

Early news, demo-footage and screenshots were extremely promising for this first-person shoot 'em up, the first serious game of its type since Medal Of Honor: Underground more than a year and a half previously. Delta Force's developers' Rebellion were boasting all sorts of technical feats ...
...Warfare centres around a lone Delta Force operative named John Carter, who is sent to Central America to investigate the supposed banding of terrorist groups. Something isn't right, as John soon discovers that nuclear devices as small as baseballs are well into development, and all the terrorists require are the materials to construct them. It becomes a race against time, and it's up to you to prevent the prototype nuclear device ever being used.
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The rate at which people moved on from the original PlayStation to a next-generation console shocked me, and by the Summer of 2002, it felt like we humble PSOne owners were already in the minority. Though the hardware was undeniably ageing, Novalogic's Delta Force: Urban Warfare project was fast developing into something even PS2 magazines couldn't ignore.

Early news, demo-footage and screenshots were extremely promising for this first-person shoot 'em up, the first serious game of its type since Medal Of Honor: Underground more than a year and a half previously. Delta Force's developers' Rebellion were boasting all sorts of technical feats that had never been seen on any home console, let alone the PSOne.

The story of Urban Warfare centres around a lone Delta Force operative named John Carter, who is sent to Central America to investigate the supposed banding of terrorist groups. Something isn't right, as John soon discovers that nuclear devices as small as baseballs are well into development, and all the terrorists require are the materials to construct them. It becomes a race against time, and it's up to you to prevent the prototype nuclear device ever being used.

Initially, things get off to an unexpectedly awkward start - the controls prove to be a bit of a shambles as firstly, to use digital control (as most PSOne players do) you actually have to plug in one of the old, standard pads, rather than simply pressing the analogue button to disable that form of control. Worse still, there are only two control configurations and neither are perfect - both require two analogue sticks just to move the character (okay for experienced P.C gamers but a little off-putting for console players) and bizarrely, many commands such as Reload and Change Weapon, need two simultaneous button-presses to execute, when there are easily enough buttons to avoid this problem.

Still, once you've mastered the controls, the game is quick to show off its considerably intelligent design. You begin the opening level on a walkway with a staircase ahead and three guards on the lower floor. Killing the first guard with a single shot to the head as he heads up the stairs will help you remain hidden for a few moments, but whilst in many shooters the guard's body would simply vanish after a couple of seconds, Delta Force makes you work harder for your results. Leaving the body on the stairs is certain to raise 'suspicions' among the other patrolling guards, so you have to sneak over to the body and drag it back into a small control room where it will remain unnoticed. Phew, and that's just the first thirty seconds!

Progressing further through the first level reveals that an enemy radio can be obtained; very handy as it alerts the player to any intruder scans taking place in certain areas of the complex, and if an enemy has called in back-up. Also, you'll find that depending on how many rounds an enemy managed to fire off at you before they were killed, varying amounts of ammunition will be left to pick up. So a quick, surprise kill may reward you will a couple of clips, whilst drawn out fire fights may leave you without a reward at the end. A nice little touch and something to reward clinical kills.

It's a hard game, though most players will persevere due to the variety and diversity that the missions provide. Some levels require a great deal of skill, patience and thought - the Swiss Bank level being a primary example. This is the only level where stealth is paramount, and your mission automatically ends should you be spotted. Avoiding detection and carrying out the mission objectives is a painful process, as you'll have to monitor the guards patrol routes and reactions, and sneak through the narrow corridors hoping you don't make a sound. You'll inevitably be spotted time and time again, though when you eventually do managed to finish it, it only adds to the satisfaction. As soon as you finish the grindingly slow espionage mission it's time to readjust, as directly afterwards you are involved in a hectic gun-fight with guards and terrorists coming in from all directions.

Definitely worth a mention is the weaponry. It's common for a first-person shoot 'em up to feature a large and suitably destructive arsenal, but in Delta Force, individual weapons have multiple settings and uses. For instance, the trusty knife can either be used as a close-range stabbing weapon or thrown from a distance; pistols have the option of a silencer and the firing-rate of machine-guns can be set to single bullet, burst or fully-automatic depending on your preference.

The range of tools and gadgets at your disposal is certainly fit for a Delta Force operative. Most impressive are the Thermal goggles, which can reveal enemies who are stationed behind a door or on the other side of a wall, and the Nightvision goggles which allow you to locate enemies in darkened areas. The list of abilities and items is almost endless, but almost all come in handy at one stage or another.

Delta Force: Urban Warfare is a visual treat - the levels and animation are quite superb, as are the effects (such as rainfall). It's all highly stylish and atmospheric from start to finish, and there are very few glitches in any of the environments. That said, it's unmistakably clear that at times, the ambitions of this shooter are putting a strain on the PSOne, as the frame-rate often slows to a crawl during some of the more frantic fire-fights.

The audio side of things is solid if unspectacular. Dialogue is fine and gun-fire convincing, with some foreboding, tension-building tunes playing along in the background. Nothing special, but it does the job.

There are a few let-downs within that prevent DF: UW from ultimately becoming the classic that it sets out to be. First of all, the cut-scenes are a little disappointing - they tell the story well enough with fine voice-dialogue, but feature oddly low-fi and jerky graphics that don't fit at all next to the slick presentation of the rest of the game. Aside from that, it certainly isn't an ideal game for novices - you're in at the deep end from the word go and things only get harder.

It's a fairly large game - 18 levels of varying size, most of which providing a substantial challenge. If you ever managed to finish the hyper-tough last few levels, you'll find that there isn't much incentive to return.

This shoot 'em up is certainly aimed at the older market, though it contains no blood or graphic violence. Due to the complex controls and highly-difficult levels, I shouldn't think young children would get much fun out of it anyway.

Delta Force: Urban Warfare is a well-presented, solid and technically excellent shoot 'em up that is ultimately pulled down by its own ambitions. Available for less than £20, it's good value, but fails to provide the enjoyment and long-term fun of the Medal Of Honor titles. Worth a look if you are a fan of the genre.
 

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