Inch-by inch, games like this revolutionize the shooter genre...Action-packed war is what you get with Frontlines
-50 player online games
-flyable jets in multiplayer
-remote controlled vehicles in multiplayer
**You should DEFINETELY buy this game if:
-you have played any Battlefield game and enjoyed it
-you are into large battles and firefights
-you are into vehicles in shooter games
-you are more concerned with multiplayer
**Glaring cons that the inquiring buyer should know immediately:
The game has no split screen on console. 1 player per console
**Gems of the game:
The multiplayer. Intense firefights, explosions, lots of depth, with various subpackages letting you do some cool things (drones)
Variety of maps, emphasizing various things- some with many vehicles, some with no vehicles at all.
**Myths
The multiplayer is laggy and unplayable.
-When the game was released, this was the case. However, everything is fixed now. There are servers located in the various corners of the United States, allowing you to pick the one closest to you.
The multiplayer is unbalanced, and spawn camping is rampant.
-Some games the opposite side presses you to your spawn point, and occasionally people take the fullest advantage of this by sending drones into your base or by planting turrets in your base. Games like this do NOT happen often.
-The subpackages are quite balanced! Drones are easily taken out by the Antivehicle class (one rocket that even locks on), and can only be remote controlled to a certain distance. Turrets shield only the front of the user, the other 270 degrees is exposed.
In other words, you are incredibly vulnerable in a turret.
The hitboxes are all screwed up; I can't hit anything.
-This was the case when the game was released. Lag tends to do that to bullets. The one nuance is that you have to aim a little bit ahead of sprinting enemies. It is quite realistic, simulating human reflexes.
Something you should know that may be a con or a pro depending on how you interpret it:
There is one gametype in Frontlines, called Frontlines. It involves capturing points that move the frontline. The catch is that you can only assault points at the frontline. There is no walking across a map and capturing a territory when nobody is there. Such a system is supposed to have an inherent aspect of teamwork to it as people focus on particular objectives(or, as I would call it, an inherent aspect of mass explosions).
Graphics / Sound: 8.0
These are good graphics. The in-game engine cinematics boast some very clean, detailed models. The textures are decent, as well. But two things are very well done: lighting and explosions. Shadows are really, really noticeable in this game, and I can't how many times I've hid in the shadow of a hill, in some bushes. The game begs for some stealth in this regard. As well, the multiplayer map 'Invasion' boasts almost complete darkness. Obviously, the hardcore players will turn their gamma settings all the way up (how I wish this was impossible!). Otherwise, this map truly demonstrates how amazing the lighting is in this game. The typical strategy in surviving on the ground in this map is to stay AWAY from the lights! Explosions in this game are abundant and flashy but balanced enough to not screw your framerate over. The physics engine, combined with these explosions, makes for a very heartpounding game. Placeable doodads go literally flying (though there arn't as many as I had hoped).
The sound effects may sound bland at first, but when EVERYONE starts shooting, and vehicles start going off, they work to really immerse you in the firefights. The music throughout the game is decent, but certainly has some amazing tracks.
Single Player:
Story: 8.5
Compared to the stories of other shooters on the market, this is a good story. That is how you have to deal with the shooter genre. Someone might play Frontlines as their first shooter, and say, this story deserves a 7.5. But someone who has played many shooters will see the ones of HIGHER quality. The narrations may seem corny at the very, very beginning, but quickly become realistic and moving. The story tries to follow a particular vision of the future as World War III is fought (without nuclear weapons) over oil and energy. The idea is original, and decently executed. What becomes immediately apparent is that the story really tries to be a 'what if' story. And it does give you such a feeling. However, the story is indeed short, although sweet.
Gameplay mechanics: 8.0
The singleplayer is objective based using the Frontlines gametype. The enemy AI is pretty good, but not exceedingly. A pro is how the difficulties are balanced. In many shooters, the developers make the mistake of making a high difficulty difficult by making the AI expert shooters. In this game, the enemy AI is good by their use of cover and tactics. A major con is that your allies don't die. They shoot at things, things shoot back, but only YOU can die. Still, it is quite fun.
Multiplayer Gameplay 9.5
As Frontlines is a Battlefield game in everything but name, multiplayer is unsurprisingly the jewel of the game. It has only one gametype as stated, Frontlines. You have various class types- Assault, AntiVehicle, Sniper, Close Combat, Special Ops. Then, you have various packages that give you further abilities- Air Support, EMP, Ground Support, Drone Technology. Air support allows you to target any spot you want and bring down air strikes. Ground support allows you to put down turrets- as in, 50 cal turrets, for example, and man them. Drone technology, the most ambitious of these already cool ideas, allows you to remotely control a robotic drone. EMP I have not tried, but involves disabling vehicles and preventing air strikes.
Each of these subpackages has 3 abilities. The first ability is available immediately. The other 2 are unlocked as you gain points. Every ability has a cooldown, with the third ability having the longest cooldown.
The subpackages put an amazingly cool edge on the online play. You can combine a subpackage with a class type and decide on YOUR way of playing it out. The packages also beg for teamwork. Cluster bombing an area 25 people are assaulting is a good idea.
-The two sides you may play in multiplayer, Red Star and Western Coalition, each have DIFFERENT sub package abilities. For example, where the Western Coalition gets a minitank drone, the Red Star gets a c4-explosive drone. There's a lot to see and do!
[Vehicles] Frontlines boasts helicopters, tanks, light and medium assault vehicles, and flyable jets. Not all vehicles are on a map, and flyable jets appear on only one map. The vehicle controls are very beginner-friendly. Jets have the steepest learning curve, unsurprisingly. Vehicles are quite balanced in this game in terms of their vulnerability.
The multiplayer is without a doubt, action-packed and fun. It has a lot to offer, a lot to see, and is quite accessible.
Replayability 8.5
The single player is short and sweet, but begs to be replayed over for achievements, considering how short the levels are.
The multiplayer is very much worth playing, and has a lot to offer, and a lot to learn. However, Frontlines fails in the area of advancement such as that offered in Call of Duty 4 (additional perks, weapons that open with rank). However, you just have to overlook that considering how ambitious this game is. It is the harbinger of shooters to come.