Developed by Pandemic Studios for apparently the United States army and converted into a game for the masses, Full Spectrum Warrior takes the feel of a military simulation to a whole new level.   If you’ve ever wanted to command your own set of fireteams and overcome challenging goals in the battlefield, but never felt like other tactical shooters out there were cutting it, this game is for you.

In actuality, you only direct your fireteams – you don’t exactly get to shoot or run yourself, you just tell them where to shoot or run.  Which is fine if you expect it, and great if you welcome it, because the game really does feel attuned to good strategies.

The story in the game is about as plain-as-day as one can see without actually mentioning any names.  We’ve got a desert-laden middle-east country that ends in “–istan”, loads of assault rifle-carrying Arabs, a cruel and tyrannical dictator, and the brave group of army soldiers sent to liberate the country.  Does this sound vaguely familiar to you?  Funny, it seems to strike a chord in my memory…

Anyway, the two teams available under your command, Alpha and Bravo, are each composed of four men.  There’s a guy with an assault rifle for suppressive firing, a rifleman for those long-distance shots, a grenadier for when you feel that you need to introduce yourself with a bang, and a team leader that also has an M4.  Knowing when to use each person to the best of their abilities – or for that matter, how to work successfully with both teams – is really half of the strategy involved.

The other half of the strategy is making sure that your men stay behind cover as best as humanly possible.  Thanks to the interface, it’s easy to do so – when you’re about to move your men, the four icons following the mouse cursor that designate your men will snap into formations alongside walls or behind cars or whatever type of object that might provide some cover.  And yes, quite a few of the objects are degradable, so don’t expect to be able to crouch behind a few wooden crates for an hour under a constant hail of bullets.

Both the most reassuring and somewhat disappointing aspect of the game is the AI.  There is pretty much a strict set of rules pertaining to what the enemy will do under certain situations, and once you have a firm grasp on these the game – while still challenging – is a whole lot easier and predictable.  Enemies will almost always continue firing at you if they have very good cover – which they often do.  If you manage to flank them, they tend to retreat quickly.  The game is pretty realistic, but by using common sense you can overcome the enemy most of the time.  One thing that did freak me out concerning the AI was my own team, though.  Every now and then it seemed like my commands flew right in one ear and out the other, and they refused to start or stop shooting until I reminded them again.  Moments like that aren’t the norm but they do seem to happen for some reason or another.

The game plays, in actuality, almost exactly like any traditional real-time-strategy game on the market.  The huge difference here is the camera placement.  Instead of a sky-cam, overhead camera with a distant view of the action, the camera here is on ground-level with the troops, and that makes all the difference.  Intensity can flare up and make for some great adrenaline pumping situations.  Part of the result is due to the fact that really, you can’t see much more than your in-game troops can – meaning that what’s just around the corner is a big of a surprise to you as it is to your men.  Can’t spot that sniper firing on you?  Too bad, your men probably don’t see him either.  For a game that technically doesn’t introduce a whole lot, gameplay wise, it feels incredibly new and refreshing.

The graphics are very good.  Although some of the texturing is a bit blurry – questionably so, at times – the excellent character models and simply superb animation more than make up for it.  Seriously, the animation is so good I could have sworn I was watching a video at times.  The environment also looks good, and all things considered, it is fairly varied for taking place in mostly war-torn urban areas in the middle east.

The sound is pretty good, with the focal point being the music.  Although everything tends to be calm when the action is calm, the music can really get exhilarating just as the gameplay is.  That really adds to the experience and makes the game feel that much more exciting.  Throw in your standard fare of soldier swearing, yelling, and teasing – all very well done, mind you – and this is probably the most immersive military sim out there.

Full Spectrum Warrior is a bit of a gem in my book.  It’s a little tricky to get into, especially if you were expecting a chance to shoot up dozens of enemies with your own trigger finger.  Really, though, the strategical style of the game is like nothing else out there – even if you aren’t the one being shot at, you feel like the military leader who commanded him into battle.  You really do feel like that man – and that’s about the best compliment I can give the game.

Gameplay: 8.5

At it’s core, it’s basic RTS.  The fact that the camera is on ground level and you don’t know any more than the troops do makes the experience that much more intense and fun, though.

Graphics: 8.5

Excellent if not perfect in parts.  Textures are a little bit too blurry sometimes but animation is incredible.

Sound: 8.5

Very good and well-worth pumping out your speakers, the music in the game can get really dramatic – as can your own soldiers.

Concept: 8.0

The basic gameplay is tried-and-true, but the fresh take on that old gameplay makes this title feel more fresh and innovative than any other strategy game out there.

Difficulty: Medium

Multiplayer: 8.0

If you wish, you can play through the game co-op with a friend over the internet – an unneeded, but handy little feature if you wish to employ it.

Overall: 8.5

Full Spectrum Warrior shines through as not only the best military sim of recent times, but one of the most intense and exciting strategy games ever created.  If you like the strategy genre at all, don’t miss out on this gem.