Gaming Trend Review
Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers
- Official Site
- Platform: PS2
- Publisher: THQ
- Developer: Pandemic Studios
- Release Date: 03/29/06
- Genre: Action/Adventure
Pros
- Unique gameplay
- A bit of a story this time
- A few new twists
Cons
- Repetitive Gameplay
- Profanity
- Trial and error gameplay
- Not enough new twists
by John DeGiorgio
Warm on the heels of the original Full Spectrum Warrior, the chess of war has returned to your small screens in Full Spectrum Warrior:Ten Hammers with all the stalking and flanking that anyone could ask for.
The quaint little seaside hamlet of Zekistan is abuzz with revolution. Full Spectrum Warrior is back and Ten Hammers refers to the mountain range that separates the lush, top third of the country from the lower, arid majority. There are plenty of places for terrorists to hide and it's up to you to move them out and instill democracy in the land one corner at a time. Will the second shot at this unique look at warfare live up to its lofty goals?
Your boys, your troops, your army...so stiff. Your mannequins… err…, troops look like they've been pulled from an episode of Robot Chicken. On the surface, the look is there and it includes some nice
details, but the soldiers are really stiff - especially in the cut scenes. In a game like this, the graphics will naturally take a back seat to the gameplay but the stiffness is something to note. While detail is present for the most part, there isn't a hint of life in these guys.
The surrounding graphics are all well done. Cities look good and are laid out in a realistic way with war game staples of broken down cars and abandoned buildings all looking their part. There’s nothing that stands out which makes for a natural looking depiction of war on the streets. It's a little muddy at times and there are a few hiccups but nothing that will interfere with you domination of Zekistan.
The HUD is ever-present on the bottom left of the screen keeping most important info right there in plain view and at times; the whole screen will fill with directions/options. These two factors can lead to a loss of realism but without them, you'd really be lost.
As PS2 games go, this one really shines while still leaving a bit to be desired.
Keep in mind that I'm probably the biggest advocate of adult themes in game but the F-Bombs in 10 Hammers fly more than real bombs. This F(*&^&%N game has more F*(^%&N swearing than consecutive showings of Goodfellas and Glengarry Glenross combined. I'm sure this is done to add some realism but I really doubt anyone is going to pop in another war game and say: "There's not enough swearing. This is completely unrealistic!" The game is rated "M" so there is a warning but it seems like the profanity is way over the top and not all that important to the gameplay or the atmosphere.
The other sounds of the game don't present that much of a shock to the system. The weapons, vehicles and shouts of anger from your opponents are well done. Not too much to say.
Screenshots
Those familiar with the original FSW know that you aren't really taking control of one soldier travelling around the world like an FPS. You move your squad point to point by issuing commands every step of the way. There's so much you can do and only limited amount of room on a standard control pad. I'll start off by saying that this game has four different varieties of a 'Cancel Order.' It can get pretty overwhelming.
The standard layout gives you control of a 4 person squad and the face buttons represent each member. The majority of time you will end up moving these four as a group, sticking them to the sides of buildings and snuggling them up to corners in an attempt to complete the mission at hand.
From the movement comes the weaponry (shocking for a war sim, I know). Each member of your squad has their specialty. From wielding an automatic weapon, to sniping, launching grenades and even laying down a laser marker for air support. The HUD provides the 4 buttons for the squad and highlights their individual weapon once selected. You can order any individual soldier to use their weapon and even go into a "Precision Fire" mode to off some better shots in with a close, over the shoulder camera, which is new in this sequel.
Are you with me so far? It's been all nice and easy to this point. Without going into too much detail, I'll just let you know that you can split your squad into 2 groups, join up with other groups, split them on and on not to mention calling in air support or planting C4, commanding vehicles, etc... All of this can be done while you're not 'with' the team you're moving. Yep, you can shuffle alpha around the map while staying with bravo. It's a nice addition but tough to pull off when you're in the thick of things.
I know it sounds like I'm whining, but I'm not (OK maybe I am). It takes this amount of sheer options if you want the player to really feel they have all the options and controls at their disposal that their real counterparts would under real circumstances. There is a reason for all these button combos and sequences however daunting they may be.
At this point I'm going to assume, if you’re this far into the review, you have some idea as to how this game is played. Unlike other war games, FSW doesn't have you controlling one soldier freewheeling all over the map in order to get the job done. In fact, "you" don't even move at all. You command movement. You slide your teams around the game step by step, point by point. You're generally hopping from one piece of cover to another in order to achieve success in your given mission.
Taking it one step further, if you've played the original FSW, you've realy played Ten Hammers. They are essentially the same game. Sure, there are differences, armored vehicles, the aforementioned dual control of units and precision targeting. The additions are welcomed but it all adds up to the same equation, move around, stay covered and you'll stay alive. You rarely need to do much else.
Move each of your groups from cover to cover paying attention to enemy locations and you should be fine. Another twist that I neglected to mention before was that your enemies will now move around. They won't always move smartly, but they will move. Keeping this in mind, and providing you pay attention and move
carefully, you really shouldn't have any problems. Alpha here, Bravo there, all the way up the ladder and there you have it. Even if you do make a mistake, load from the last save and don't make it again. While the campaign is long enough at 12 missions, you'll rarely feel as if you are doing anything different all the way through.
The value of Ten Hammers lies with your initial attraction to the game. If you just want a tactical strategy game of squad hopping progress through a mythical middle east conflict then you'll find it here. That's all you'll find here. The lack of variety combined with the lack of any substantial upgrades from the first FSW leaves this game as sort of a FSW 1.5.
There is an online mode, that does have a co-op mode as well, but when I tried to play online, I couldn't find anyone else out there. Let that be a warning to you. Online could help if you plan to grab the game with a buddy and plan on playing each other though. At least it's an option for you.
I won't get into the 'real life' situations that this game mirrors, but I will say that I'm not sure if the subject matter doesn't hurt the enjoyment of the game. Over the last few years we've been up close with the realities of real war and the almost sanitized, scripted events of Ten Hammers make it look a lot easier than I'm sure it really is.
FSW:10 Hammers is in a category all by itself. It's THE tactical war game for consoles at this time. If you are looking for this type of game there's only one way to go. The leap frog style of squad movement isn't something that you see every day and there might be a reason for that. If you're not completely into Ten Hammers from the first mission there's little chance that plowing ahead will pull you in. If you are hooked from the start, it will test your addiction with its repetitiveness. It takes a special type of gamer to stick with, and enjoy FSW:Ten Hammers. While the first FSW was considered somewhat revolutionary, it was something different and unique, only one sequel later the game seems a bit one dimensional and stale.
