Warpath

Warpath is a new first-person shooter that is really geared towards online multiplay but has an added single-player game that adds more depth than your typical fragfest!

Warpath focuses on a world held by three factions all competing for territory on a planet called the Kaladi System. This planet is rich in resources and is sought out by the three factions. The Ohm, The Kovos and The Human Coalition. All have their own ideals, faith, and beliefs. Of course this means an unavoidable conflict that start the Trinity Wars.

All players will have access to same weaponry. There are six different weapons found in most shooter titles and a deadly close-combat Vibro blade that can cause a quick death in hand-to-hand combat. Though all the weapons are not available in the beginning of the single-player missions, you will have access to them if you gain enough ground and win a territory that awards you the weapon. C.A.M.S are weapon enhancements that you can acquire to give your gun new features. These upgrades can devastate the enemy.

Built on the Unreal engine, this title looks damn fine for a game that is retailing for about 20 bucks. Budget conscious gamers need not sacrifice visual effects for a small price tag. Everything from characters, explosions, maps, and vehicles look great. Sure you could spend more money for a bit more detail, but in my opinion the added eye candy would not add much more to the game except a higher ticket price. You spend much more time running and gunning than you would be taking a scenic tour.

The game focuses around four game types. Death Match, Team Death Match, Capture the Flag, and Frontline Assault. All are fast paced and loaded with action. The single-player games do have some vehicles to add to the firefight but at time of review did not see any in the few online games that I experienced. The game is new so I don’t want to discount it, but I cannot verify if vehicles are present in the online games.

I liked that the single-player campaign offers a bit more structure than just picking a type of game, then trying to conquer it. You must do well on all games capturing territory to accomplish beating the game. Capturing territories not only gains ground but also offers new weapons and C.A.M.S to enhance weapon abilities. The more C.A.M.S you can acquire the better the fighter.

Overall the game adds plenty of depth for this style of game. I think there is plenty of re-playability will be found here at least until the next great shooter reaches the shelves.

Gameplay: 8.3
Fragging enemies couldn’t be easier. The default options are your typical W.A.S.D movement keys and mouse to aim and shoot. The user interface is simple for even the newest gamers of the genre.

Graphics: 8.2
Visually the game looks great and can be played on most systems within the last couple of years. The game ran flawlessly with out any stuttering or hiccups. I have to admit it has been a while since I was able to open the box and start playing without having to download a patch right from the start. A nice breath of fresh air.

Sound: 7.0
Sound quality is good and trouble free. Nothing really separates this game from others in this genre from an audio standpoint, but nothing bad here either.

Difficulty: Easy
Different difficulty levels can challenge even the best of players. Multiplayer is where the true challenge lies.

Concept: 7.5
This game is really geared towards an online FPS audience, but the single-player mode surely trains you for the online war. I like how your typical capture the flag, death match and team death match, multiplayer games are tied into one single-player experience. Taking these game styles and mixing it up a bit to conquer areas of the map. I think that the developers tied the multiplayer and single player concept together quite well.

Multiplayer: 7.2
MP is supported on both LAN and the Internet. Because this game is in its infancy, limited games were found at time of review. I do expect to see more games available within the next few weeks. This title does allow you to practice MP games with Bots in place of players so I did get a good feel for how the games will play. If the real deal is anything like the practice games, or what I have experienced in my limited online play, most players will be delighted.

Overall: 7.2
I see a lot of re-playability here and I would recommend this game to any FPS fan especially those on a budget.