Windows

America's Army: Operations

America's Army: Operations on melko kapea-alainen, yhden asian räiskintäpeli, mutta hyvin tehty sellainen. Se on tehty realismifriikeille kuin mittatilaustyönä. Jos pelattavuuden kustannuksella luotu realismi ei iske, aina voi lohduttautua sillä, että peli on absoluuttisen ja sataprosenttisen ilmainen.

The game creates a very intense battle feeling. The graphics, which you can savour in resolutions up to 1280x1024, look really good (as seen in some of the screenshots) and in certain moments during a game they are quite exquisite; but the thing that really sends shivers down your spine is the sound. The ferocious shouting, grenade explosions, bullets hissing as they pass three inches by your left ear (that would be your left eye :P), the sound of a ricochet or that of a dumb hit in the person standing right next to you - these are all very clearly distinguishable in any combat, sometimes making you forget to load or repair a jammed weapon. In the end, your only hope is that your enemy is just as jaw-broken as you.

Overall this seems to be a solid game, and as the community grows and more missions become available this should be an outstanding title for years to come. The best thing is it's free. You can download it from www.americasarmy.com or from what the press release boasts, you can pick up CD versions from your local Army recruiter.

Such is the same with America's Army. Some parts are great, others not so. Enjoyment is based on personal preference. As its nature is directed to a very limited, cult, and belligerent audience, it does not cater to the casual. So, you must ask yourself, do you like sex, lunch, and free HBO?

Uncle Sam’s first-person shooter isn’t just an appealing recruitment tool — it’s a top-notch shooter. Hitchcock once said that movies were “life with the boring parts cut out.” America’s Army introduces the military with the boring parts cut out: a slick, first-rate PC shooter that lets you try out all the exciting things there are to do in Army life, from basic training all the way to ground warfare — and all without a single 5 a.m. reveille and slop-out duty.

America’s Army ist trotz des momentan noch ziemlich geringen Umfangs ein erstklassiger Taktik-Shooter, der mich seit Wochen immer wieder an den Monitor fesselt. Grafik, Waffengefühl, Mapdesign – hier stimmt einfach alles. Und weil Teamkiller konsequenter als in anderen Programmen bestraft werden, herrscht auf den Servern meistens ein konzentriertes Miteinander statt Chaos. Einzelgänger haben sowieso keine Chance. Dass der Netzwerkkode noch nicht so astrein ist, sehe ich eher als temporäres Problem. Was ich allerdings weniger prickelnd finde, ist die Tatsache, dass die US Army immer über meine Fortschritte und mein Verhalten im Spiel informiert ist – zumindest,wenn ich einen der offiziellen Server benutze. Und das sollen über kurz oder lang alle werden. Aber andererseits: Was soll’s? Ich trete dem Verein ohnehin nicht bei.

Het is voorlopig nog niet altijd even makkelijk een server te vinden (deze willen immers allemaal een officiële erkenning ontvangen waardoor je prestaties geregistreerd blijven), maar daar wordt volgens de ontwikkelaars hard aan gewerkt. We hopen dit intens, want uiteindelijk zijn wij als Europeanen natuurlijk niet het 'doelwit' van die leger-ronselaars. In ieder geval lijkt de hele opzet, grafische weergave, episodes en vooral het gratis aspect een heel interessante aanwinst in de shooterwereld te zullen worden.

America's Army: Operations may very well be one of the most ironic games ever. More than a few American politicians have bolstered their careers by condemning violence in popular entertainment, particularly in video games. Now the US government, by way of the Army, has produced a computer game that's all about realistic, deadly combat. While this odd turn of events raises interesting ethical and political issues, many gamers probably just want to know one thing about this online shooter: Is it any good? The game was launched in a more limited form on July 4 of this year, but the launch was plagued by embarrassing problems, including bugs and too few official servers. Fortunately, the Army now seems to have gotten its act more or less together with this game. Now there are more servers, and America's Army is generally more stable, which means you can more easily enjoy this exciting tactical shooter.

From all of the nice features presented in America's Army, little is derived from new ideas, nearly everything has been seen elsewhere. Each map is nicely designed with a variety of unique objectives, yet players may find themselves becoming tired of the same style gameplay made famous by Half-Life: Counterstrike. Although the download may be large, the game doesn't cost anything and as such players should judge for themselves whether this is a worthy candidate to remain on their hard drives. The United States Army have accomplished exactly what they wanted to do in America's Army, introduce players to the world of Army life and let them judge for themselves in an entertaining and risk free setting.

As I said in my preview, Operations reminds me of the BMW inspired short films. Maybe, for the U.S. Army, providing a branded entertainment product is the best way to advertise. Maybe, this signifies a new form of advertising. Underlying all this, though, is an excellent first person shooter game. Its primacy in tactics, detail and realism should convince at least some people to sign on--even if they're not in America proper.

I would love to say that this game is good, but it’s not. I also can’t say that it’s bad, because it isn’t that either. The game is simply ok. It probably won’t be your favorite, and it probably won’t be the worst you have ever played. It’s the perfect kind of game for when you have time to waste.

Due to it’s “free” status, America’s Army often times gets snubbed as a less than quality game, when in reality it is a formidable game that can actually hold it’s own up against games that might burn a hole 15-50 bucks wide into your wallet. America’s Army goes against the popular trend of sub-par free games and brings gamers a game that reminds them that free is not necessarily a negative term when it comes to video games. Though at times hindered by boring training, the game pulls through with an excellent taste of realism that makes this game quite the interesting experience.

Voor een gratis spel valt Operations best te pruimen. Een echte hoogvlieger is spijtig genoeg niet geworden.