In Conflict: Desert Storm, SCi and Pivotal Games have developed a title that's both controversial and exciting.
User Rating: 7.3 | Conflict: Desert Storm PS2
In Conflict: Desert Storm, SCi and Pivotal Games have developed a title that's both controversial and exciting. In the new squad-based third person shooter for PlayStation 2, set in the midst of the real-life 1991 Gulf War, gamers assume the role of either US Special Forces or British SAS, as the game tells the story of the undercover preparation missions that supposedly took place prior to the US-lead United Nations' invasion on January 16th. These frequently rumoured undercover infiltration, reconnaissance and assassination missions never received any media coverage at the time, and indeed, have never been officially acknowledged. So Desert Storm's very premise is at least partially controversial from the moment you begin playing. Although the games are set in very different times, Conflict: Desert Storm's main competition will undoubtedly spring from Sony's own SOCOM: Navy Seals. Gameplay is similar - you'll control a number of men from a third person perspective, (on occasion, you'll only be controlling one man, but you can command anywhere up to four) and use tactics to thwart the opposition. When playing, you'll be able to switch team-mates at any give time, as well as order them to provide you with covering fire, fire at will, hold their positions or move to your position. Each member of your team excels in one area or another, be it rifleman and infiltrator, heavy weapons, sniper or demolitions. Which means you'll have to place, and use your team quite strategically, as well as know your territory. As you progress through the game, and (hopefully) keep your team alive, a promotions system keeps your men's abilities toped up. You'll find that those who specialise in some areas will increase their specialist skills, while at other times, specialists will develop their skills in areas they're not normally particularly good at. This feature works well, because it means that an increase in difficulty isn't entirely reliant on your own skills improving, and it also means you'll want to work harder for more efficient mission times and scores. When not under your direct control, team-mates will only do as you tell them, but just as in Brute Force, they'll use some pretty sharp AI to keep the opposition at bay, so you don't have to baby sit them if you feel like flying solo while you check out a derelict Iraqi installation. You're also able to exchange items with other members of your team, or give a team-mate embarking on a difficult mission some extra medi-packs or ammunition, because both are in short supply towards the end of the game, and an injured team-mate moves slowly. As you progress through the game's training mode, you'll be trained in basic movement, weapons firing, squad command and finally, calling in air strikes. The game plays with a standard first-person-shooter control system - as in a number of other third person shooters with first person left and right stick control configurations, your crosshair will represent your shot's point of impact, so you never feel like you've not got control. The X button allows you to reload your weapon, climb objects, or pick up inventory items, while the Circle button allows you to crouch, and, if pushed twice, belly-crawl. Holding down the Triangle button lets you flick through your available items and weapons (including armour piercing rocket launchers, medi-packs, sniper guns, binoculars, machine guns and the like). The L1 and R2 buttons are reserved for squad commands when used in conjunction with the four face buttons, while the R3 button allows you to enter first-person mode for accurate firing. Finally, if using the sniper rifle or the binoculars, the L3 button controls your zoom. The controls may feel slightly overwhelming when you first play the game, but once you've completed the training mode and got a feel for the way the controls work, you'll have no trouble moving about with ease and barking orders out to your men. In addition to the game's on-foot controls, you'll be able to jump in a number of different vehicles, which makes for quite diverse gameplay. The first mission you'll play will see you rescuing an imprisoned ally, captured after trying to set some C4 on a pivotal bridge structure, so it's your job to find his C4, replant the explosive, rescue your comrade, and return to your extraction point. This sort of mission structure is maintained throughout most of the game, however your objectives, and the addition of team members to help you on your mission, will change the way you go about things. All told, the game features fifteen missions, which will take you a considerable amount of time to complete. In addition to the game's single player campaign, there's a multiplayer feature, which allows two gamers to play through the game cooperatively. Given that it doesn't really 'extend' the game's longevity, it may seem like a bit of a tacked-on novelty, but the game is much more fun when playing with another real-life member of your team. Conflict: Desert Storm's graphics aren't revolutionary, but they suffice. The environments themselves look quite bland, but to be fair (given the game's extremely sandy setting) there wasn't too much the developers could have done to make the game look more vivid. The model design and texture does look quite nice, and there's some great use of particle effects in the sand and explosions, but unfortunately the whole game is plagued by a consistently low frame rate, which flows on into the control, because turning and movement is choppy when there's lots of on-screen action. It's not something that will really hinder gameplay when you get used to it, given it's consistent, but it's a problem that doesn't plague the Xbox version of the game, making it less acceptable on the PlayStation 2 by comparison. The sound, on the other hand, is consistently good. The voice acting is convincing (depending on which team you choose when you first play through the game, you'll either hear British or American soldiers while playing through the different missions), and the audio is tense, but subtle at the same time. Using a dynamic audio system first implemented in games like SSX Tricky, Desert Storm plays different music based on how well you're performing and your current situation - if your health is nearly gone, the music will become more intense, and if you're wandering around an uninhabited ruin waiting for some action, it will be much more laid back. When all's said and done, and even in the face of the games' frame-rate problems, it's hard not to recommend Conflict: Desert Storm to PlayStation 2 owners. If you've an Xbox, you may want to wait for that version, given that none of the frame-rate problems feature in the Xbox build, but if PlayStation 2 is your system of choice you'll still enjoy this game immensely. Those of you who are intent on finishing every last piece of a game will find plenty of hidden extras, while others will lap up the diverse, intense gameplay. 
