Full Spectrum Warrior (Xbox)

I am a big fan of war games - as my list of X-Box games reviewed shows but I had on several visits to game pondered on purchasing Full Spectrum Warrior but decided against it.

All doubts were cast aside when I saw it in the pre-owned bin for only £8 - alarm bells should have started ringing that the bin was only full of this game - this really should have told em something but it didn't - I could weep at my lack of common sense at times.

The game is a third person strategy where you control 2 US Marine fire teams through various missions - which take place in combat zones that look strangely like westernised cities of the Middle East - Full Spectrum Warrior received rave reviews and I admit I was taken in by the 9.2/10 The Official X-Box magazine gave the game, the 9/10 X-Box gamer rated it and the 9/10 given by X-Box World - After getting it home and playing for an hour I seriously thought of looking up the editors of these publications and having them shot! Yes, the game really is that bad.

The graphics are pretty standard, your fire team is really detailed and the backgrounds are better than the Medal of Honour series. Bullets leave holes in buildings and the overall feel for the realism shown is generally quite good - The same can also be said for the sound effects that are realistic - you can tell if an enemy is getting closer with his shots by the sounds that are made as the bullets pass you. Explosions are cool and the gurgling sounds made by the squad members as they are wounded add to the feel and is probably one of the reason this game is for people 16+.

So the graphics and sound are OK so what is seriously wrong with this game? 3 things really and they all revolve around the most important aspect of a game - gameplay.

1) The controls are very basic - you can't do too much and I find it frustrating to be so limited.

2) The missions are too easy and follow a set formula every time - once you learn the art of suppressing fire and move with your fire teams you have pretty much completed the game.

3) The fact that when you engage an enemy a little sign floats above their head. There is no chance of being ambushed or caught unaware - the game points out where the enemy are for you making it even easier.

Overall after a few hours of playing I had completed the game - I was looking for something that would engage me and have me thinking up new and more ingenius ways of deploying tactics across the battlefield and all I was left with was basically a walk through a combat simulator without the opportunity to control the guns in the same way I can with a first person shooter.

This game is rubbish - do not buy it.