War Rock

War Rock is a military FPS title that closely resembles games like Battlefield. There are three types of battlefields over 20 different maps. Close Quarters Combat packs up to 16 players into fast in-your-face special ops modes. Urban Ops brings it up to 24 players in mid-size tactical maps with building cover and vehicles. Battle Group features massive maps supporting up to 32 players. There is some cheesy story line that I certainly won’t bore you with. The short version is pick a side and kill the other guy meanwhile capturing outposts so you can spawn closer to the main battle.

There are five “Branches” of service. No, not Marines or Air Force or the like but different special-op units at your disposal. Engineers repair and maintain vehicles in time for the next wave of attacks. These guys are handy at fixing your battle-worn vehicles that are not destroyed so they can continue to fight effectively. Medics provide the necessary first aid to help players live longer before meeting a most certain death. Some wounds do continue to do damage like bleeding out so though you may survive a firefight, without medical attention from a medic or first-aid station you could still croak. Snipers can provide long-range cover and take out human targets from a hidden spot. These guys are great for stopping troops in their tracks. Assault units are the well-rounded workhorse men. These guys are best suited for close quarters combat but require some help from the other units. Heavy Troopers are usually called in to neutralize vehicles and armor, and they are vital on large-scale operations. Each unit is equipped with special weapons unique to their class. You can change between them every time you respawn.

Ranks are achieved by completing games. With advancement comes privileges like better equipment, and special events for higher level players. Your rank does carry over from branch to branch so you do not have to play one specific branch to keep leveling up. Your level travels with you.

The main issue I have with the game besides the mediocre visuals and sounds is the fact that you are restricted to playing online. Yes, that means that you cannot even play against computer bots to get some practice on how the game is played. So those of you not on any sort of Broadband connection don’t even bother with this one. Those who may want to play without going online well you can toss that right out the window too. And if you want to have access to all the special bells and whistles get ready to pony up a monthly fee for features that at time of release are not even completed yet. Things like voice over IP and Clans. Yes you can play for free but you will be limited to what the free account is given.

You can vary your monthly fee from $5.95 to $14.95 for three basic types. The three types are Bronze, Silver and, Gold. All give better stuff but most importantly is the bonus to experience points and Dinar, which is the money you acquire to purchase weapons. With gold you get a 5^th weapon slot WOW! I’m sorry, but I just cannot comprehend this. Even though you buy weapons in all actuality you just lease them for seven days or a month. So now you have played hard, earned the cash and still all you can do is rent a weapon.

Ok, I will climb down off my soapbox and will say that the games are fun that is on those servers where the lag is minimal, and there are plenty of variations that make the games quite interesting. The ability to play as infantry or behind the controls of a heavy tank or even piloting some pretty cool aircraft is a blast in itself. There are also gun emplacements scattered about some maps that provide even more shooting entertainment. One special note I did like some of the rag-doll physics when guys are blown away from an explosion and fly through the air. It really does look cool.

I have a hard time finding the time to play any game on a regular basis. Games that require you to have some sort of subscription or simply put a pay-to-play monthly charge make me feel to get my money's worth I have to play just that game otherwise it's just a waste. I like to log on now and again and play at will, not worrying that I haven’t played but once a month. Most gamers I know play many games often and not just one so how does one rationalize paying a monthly charge. Yes, you might get some cool weapons but even these are just for a week or month at a time. Then you have to buy them all over again or should I say lease! There are just too many red flags for me to really recommend this title even to the hardcore fan of this genre.

Gameplay: 6.5
Plays like a typical shooter with WASD commands and a mouse. Most games are fun to play but can be frustrating to those new to the game because better weapons are not available early on. You must play and level up to enjoy a more efficient arsenal. This makes playing with and against more hardcore gamers less enjoyable because they have the firepower to eliminate the new guy quite quickly. And of course there is no tutorial so you are just hung out to dry.

Graphics: 6.5
Well, let's just say that visually the game is not horrific, but no matter how much detail you try and put in, it just does not look all that inspiring. Explosions lack any luster and trees and other natural detail look blocky from any distance.

Sound: 6.0
Not really impressed here either. Many sound effects sound the same. Examples are bullets ricocheting off buildings, gunfire seams to be limited to different types, and most explosions all sound the same. There are some variances but for the most part not too much difference. Only music that can be found is in the screens prior to gameplay.

Difficulty: Medium
The game is quite easy to play. What is frustrating to me is that there is no training mission with enemy bits to play against to get you more familiar with the game. This means that you spend a good deal of time getting used to the commands and different weapons while getting waxed constantly. There is a training mode but it's used to familiarize yourself with different vehicles and the layout of the maps. There is no tutorial whatsoever.

Concept: 5.0
Nothing new here.

Multiplayer: 8.0
Ok here is one good thing I can say about the game, if you can find a decent server the games are quite fun. Sometime there is a lag issue but for the most part they play pretty fluidly. The intensity can get quite high especially on maps with gun emplacements, vehicles and good elevated positions where snipers can rain down death from above.

Overall: 6.0
With so many military FPS types available I just have a hard time recommending this title simply because you have to pay a monthly fee to enjoy benefits that in some cases are still not available.