In June 2004 Pandemic Studios and THQ brought the public its first glimpse at a mililtary training simulator in the form of a video game called Full Spectrum Warrior where you play as a U.S. Army soldier on the battlefield commanding your squad through mission after mission on hostile turf. Nearly a year later Destineer Studios decides to add on the genre by bringing yet another training sim but this time from the perspective of a marine commanding a highly trained three man fireteam. This is close combat and you are the first to fight, you have the option of taking out enemies lethally with no questions asked or take more of a Swat 4 approach by ending a mission with as little casualties as possible. However you choose to play this game it's a fast paced experience that delivers in many areas but also fails in crucial points. Once you pop in First to Fight the first thing you will notice is unlike the RTS-style gameplay of Full Spectrum Warrior you are in a first person view. You take the role as the leader of your fire team and only order your men around when you need something specific done. The story is very poorly thought out and isn't executed very well. The story takes place in a country called Beirut where you have to stop an uprise before mass chaos erupts around the world which could threaten many lives across the globe. There are roughly 5 missions total which are split up into several parts. There are three tutorials that will explain each aspect of the game that will occur before the start of the first few missions. Here you will learn the basics of breaching and clearing a room, how to order your fireteam to lay down surpressive fire, flanking techniques, the works. As you get into the action you learn that the AI of your fire team is very compliant and you are even encouraged to just let the soldiers follow you and they will act accordingly, which surprisingly they do, and very well I might add. However I cannot say the same for the AI of your opposition, considering most of them just stand around and seem to just beg you to kill them or get stuck running into walls or other obstacles. The game on the other hand runs great and your fire team executes commands very fluently without hesitation. However I did find times where one of my teammates would get stuck somewhere and this may even result in a whole restart of the mission. There are usually at the least 3 parts to a level before it is completed and as you progress don't expect all your teammates to make it out alive. Each level comes packed with pockets of enemies but are quickly taken care of with careful precision and some patience. Once one of your teammates does go down they may still be alive which you then must administer first aid. If your teammate is severely injured or killed you must follow the "Leave no man behind" ethic and get him off the battlefield as soon as possible. First to Fight isn't like your typical run and gun first person shooter, you are limited on health packs and you can die very quickly if not careful. This means you must play each level very strategically if you want to make it out with minimal damage. This basically means you are subjected to creep and slowly progress though levels to take out enemies that pop out at you and once you've gone through a mission, there's really no reason to play it again at all. Unlike other tactical squad based shooters your fire team completely lacks any personality. Sure you get the occasional quip, but they are really just mere tools to help get the job done. Even though the AI of your fire team is well done there are still plenty of moments when your teammates will walk right in front of you as you're firing, or just stand out in the open instead of running for cover. Multiplayer deathmatches are acceptable but there are many better xbox live titles out there and that is why this game largly lacks an online fanbase. If your looking to play multiplayer four player co-op is the way to go with First to Fight. The often chaotic moments during missions provides for some entertaining and unforgettable moments with your friends and this provides some much needed replability. First to Fight is powered by some lush graphics and has very realistic facial and body features. The facial features of your teammates is very well done and they look almost real. Same goes for the opposition but they don't seem to express much emotion, even so they still provide for a more realistic look and feel. Body animations aren't very well done and leave alot to be desired. The ragdoll physics seem very pourly done and just look plain wierd and unrealistic when you lob a gernade blowing an enemy ten feet in the air. Environments are very well done and have great detail. It's great to see small details such as dirt on walls, pictures, and even rust on doors. The visuals are definitly a strong point for this title but it still suffers from some unrealistic physics. Once you open a door the door goes right through you as do your teammates. I guess it saves you the trouble of going around them in the end but in this generation aren't we aiming towards realism and this is just unacceptable in a tactial sim. There is some logic to why you can go through some objects however since most of the game takes place in close environments with not much room to move and it would be very difficult for you to maneuver around your teammates in a small confined space such as a small hallway. Other aspects such as environmental destruction is solid for the most part and you can pretty much blow any vehicle up that you set your eyes on. Sadly the explosion effects seem very dummed down leaving you wanting more bang for your buck. If you shoot at a wall no bullet holes are noticed as well which once again takes down a notch on the realism factor. Aside from minor graphical and enivornmental issues the graphics are up to date with this generation but with a little more polish could have added much more to the experience. Unlike the graphics the audio in this game is a whole different story. Audio was not very well done at all. What they give you is some tracks that sound like they took from one of those military commercials you see on TV. The audio is very poorly done and never stays in the right mood for long. The audio does fit perfectly with the region this game is set in but is not executed well enough to recieve any good accomodations. The single player campaign takes a rough five to six hours to beat and the same being for the co-op campaign. There is little replayability in the single player campaign unless you want to relive the unexciting experience twice. Co-Op adds something new for your friends to play on a friday night allowing up to four players to work together to complete each mission but you might see yourself getting boring since the co-op campaign is the same exact missions as the single player campaign. Even though Xbox Live is supported it will be hard to find a good eight player match to play in. Online scoreboards however are supported and it's great to see the headset is supported for team play. In the end this game is strong in many aspects of the tactical shooter genre. But where it begins to strive, it falls. This game had potential to be a great all around shooter but fails miserably in execution. The game feels rushed, unfinished, and very unpolished in almost every area you look. If you are looking for a tactial shooter there are much better ones on the market, and ones that are worth your hard earned cash. This is a decent rental and will keep you occupied for sometime but can easily be beaten in one sitting. First to Fight trys so hard to be what it's not and that is it's greatest downfall.
Other Helpful Reviews for Close Combat: First to Fight
I have waited a long time for a Marine Corps based game this is a great game that absolutely delivered. I don't care what the naysayer has to say frankly. This is an outstanding game. For one it is pretty much realist... Read Full Review
this was a wonderful game, it was realistic and it had some great weapons but it was an incredibly hard game it was great but it was also a one shot one kill game if you get shot in the head you are going to die the plot... Read Full Review
