Full Spectrum Warrior Reveals Army Mode, Contrasting Reviews

Thanks to EvilAvatar for pointing to a gallery of screenshots from the hidden 'Army Mode' of newly-released Xbox strategy game Full Spectrum Warrior. Originally discovered using a modified Xbox, GameFAQs lists a universally-usable code to "unlock the original [U.S. Army-funded] training version [of FSW], with more enemies, civilians, open areas, levels, and [greater] difficulty", as previously mentioned on Slashdot Games. However, critical response to the title, while generally good, has wavered a little, with the GameSpot review arguing that the game "boasts a great presentation and a unique design. However, the gameplay itself just doesn't stack up quite as well", but an alternate take at IGN suggesting that "there is room for improvement, but the game is still top-notch at every level of development and execution."

Comments

Swedish Army?

[EnglishTim]

Does anyone know why the cheat for 'Realistic Damage' is 'SWEDISHARMY'?

It really sounds like it's a reference to something...

Re:Swedish Army?

[krymsin01]

Two words: pothead coders....
*gurglr**gurgle**hacking cough*
"dude.... we need a cheat code for realistic damage...."
*gurgle*gurgle*cough*cough*

An hour and a few pizzas later:
"dude.... sweeeeeeeeeeeeeedish army!"
"YEAH!"

Re:Swedish Army?

[Isbiten]

As a swede I have a hard time figuring out wheter or not I should be offended ;)

Re:Swedish Army?

[powerline]

Sounds like an internal joke, as quite a few of those who have worked on the game are swedes.

Re:Swedish Army?

[Anonymous Coward]

Because you die in a meat grinder, so you think of SWEDISH MEATBALLS!

Does the fact that Army Mode is 'happy turtle' mean something? Hiding in a shell perhaps?

And who the hell is Nick West?

Re:Swedish Army?

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah, the large amount of swedish programmers at Pandemic. You'll notice if you played the Mercenaries demo that there was a swedish guy as a major NPC also.

Oh... and....

[EnglishTim]

Something I forgot to mention in the parent post...

** Does a little 'first post' dance **

woo!

\o/

Here's the unlock code

[orthogonal]

GameFAQs lists a universally-usable code to "unlock the original [U.S. Army-funded] training version [of FSW], with more enemies, civilians, open areas, levels, and [greater] difficulty"

Unfortunately, the unlock code is:

I, ___________________________________, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

After a few unlocked games, you find yourself playing is a remarkably realistic and very sandy simulator.

Re:Here's the unlock code

[paulcammish]

Anyone get a version that works with god mode?

Re:Here's the unlock code

[KDR_11k]

I heard a guy in Washington found it... Or at least he hought so...

Re:Here's the unlock code

[Anonymous Coward]

So, why don't those who take that oath go after those that are attacking our constitution? Such as the senators that passed the Patriot Act? (Yeah I realize it was 99-1).

Where are our soldiers when we need them?

Relax, I'm here to help.

[Anonymous Coward]

The first thing anyone needs to do in a crisis is take a quick personal inventory. Your case is no exception.

Step 1: Determine if you're a humorless bastard.
Step 2: Depending on the results of one you can either laugh it off, bitch incessantly, or cry.
Step 3: Live with the consequences of Step 2 for the REST OF YOUR NATURAL LIFE!

Reviews

[mutewinter]

I've been working on a gaming website over the last few days and have noticed some of IGN's reviews to be quite out of line, as in giving great reviews to horrible games.

After looking at the other reviews for Full Spectrum Warrior, IGN is about the same as the others. GamePro gave it 5 of 5, Gamespy 4 of 5 (only the best of the best get 5 of 5 at Gamespy.) The game looks interesting.. I'm a huge fan of Ghost Recon, hope this comes to the PC.

Re:Reviews

[Osty]

The game looks interesting.. I'm a huge fan of Ghost Recon, hope this comes to the PC.

Keep in mind that this game is only similar to Ghost Recon and other such games (SOCOM, the Rainbow 6 games, etc) in that it deals with squad-based tactical combat. In all other respects, it's completely different. It's not a first-person shooter, nor even a third-person shooter. In fact, you never actually pull the trigger on a gun yourself (excepting grenades, but even that is still just giving orders to your soldiers but that you can pick exactly where you want the grenades to go). It has a lot more in common with a real-time strategy game than Ghost Recon. Take a RTS like C&C:G, remove the need to manage resources and the ability to create new units and perform upgrades, put the viewpoint at a battlefield-level third-person view, and constrain your movement options to only what your soldiers can see, and you're getting close to what FSW is like.

Personally, I love the game. I've been playing it since Wednesday. The retail game is very Hollywood, and fairly easy on lower difficulty levels (I've yet to try Authentic difficulty). Gamespot's review was correct when they complain about cover being all or nothing, though the seem to have neglected the destructable cover (cars, wooden carts, crates, etc that provide cover but can be destroyed out from in front of you). It seems that this was a concession made for playability in the retail version. It does lead to some Naked Gun-esque firefights where you can be only a few feet away from a bad guy and they can't hit your nor you them because the cover is too strong, but it also prevents you from "cheap" kills where you think you're in cover but not. The army version "fixes" this. Cover is only as good as what it's made from. You still have perfect cover if you're hiding behind a stone wall, or around a corner, but if you put your back up against a wooden fence you can expect to take a few rounds in your soldiers. The army mode also lets the AI move around a lot more, so that they're not always in the same place on every mission. The retail version seems to always have the enemies in the same place initially, but they do have freedom to run to new cover, or get scared and run away (happens, but rarely).

In short, the game rocks, but you'll be disappointed if you go into it expecting a Ghost Recon copy. Gamespot's review is really an anomaly in my opinion, and GameRanking's review aggregation seems to validate this. Supposedly it will make its way to the PC, but if you're into military simulation games this one is definitely worth buying an XBox. It controls perfectly with the gamepad (I would expect it to be worse with a mouse, in all honesty), and DD5.1 is required to play this game properly (audio situational awareness is key).

Re:Reviews

[mutewinter]

Very interesting, but I think I'll have to wait for it to come to PC!

The Swedish Chef!

[Luigi30]

Der damage am high und the thingy go bork bork!