 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | Cauldron |
| Publisher: | Activision | |
| Genre: | FPS | |
| ESRB: | Teen | |
| # Of Players: | 1 | |
| Online Play: | No | |
| Accessories: | Xbox Live (Leaderboards, Content Download), HDTV 480p/720p/1080i |
Still, this could’ve been a great FPS despite the primitive weaponry if other elements of the game were executed well. Unfortunately, they were not. To begin with, using cover on the battlefield is very hit or miss. Sometimes an overturned wagon in front of you will buy you some time to recoup and reload, and other times enemy fire will simply go right through it. The result of this inconsistency is that you’ll soon learn to never trust any cover, removing a very critical part of any shooter from the equation.
Zooming in to shoot is nearly worthless, because all weapons fire with remarkable accuracy as long as the aiming reticule is red. Due to this and the inconsistent cover, you can pick off a number of enemies you’ve yet to even see simply by scanning the horizon until the reticule lights up. Pistol, sniper rifle, musket…it doesn’t matter. If it’s red, it’s dead. Not only that, but the player can pull off complex reloading animations while in full run simply by pressing a button, whereas computer controlled characters must realistically stand still and reload before moving again. Whether this is a bad thing or not is debatable, because while it is unrealistic the game’s already slow enough as it is due to the primitive weaponry.
Computer controlled characters also exhibit some pretty weak AI at times. While the men around you will often realistically engage in combat and even kill each other off, the game still has the age-old problem with FPS titles of the war ultimately waiting on the player. I saw a number of instances from afar where characters on both sides would stand virtually next to each other without taking action, waiting on me to show up so the war could begin properly. Even in the heat of battle there were still problems at times, with enemies standing right next to each other and not taking action, jogging in place stuck on walls, etc. Decision making is also questionable, with enemies standing out in the open while reloading, charging me when I’ve got a gun pointed at them, and just in general not being very aware of their surroundings.
Graphically the game looks pretty nice, with some excellent smoke hanging over the battlefield, realistic shadows from trees and other objects, and decent character models. It also pulls off the feel of the 1800s quite well in general, with plenty of covered wagons, barns, brick streets, authentic weaponry, etc. Overall it really looks a lot like Call of Duty 2 set in the Civil War, which means it’s a little behind the times but still looks nice overall.
It also sounds a lot like Call of Duty 2, with fellow soldiers shouting out battle cries, the distant boom of gunfire and cannons, etc. Unfortunately, soldiers shout out very few lines, meaning they’ll repeat (and sound exactly the same) regardless of which side you’re fighting on. I also encountered a bug when I reloaded a saved game during the Antietam mission, in which the environmental noise track (a pre-programmed running loop full of soldiers shouting, distant gunfire, etc.) simply did not kick in. So I went from a noisy battlefield, to a suddenly eerily silent one with no piped-in noises to make it seem like a real war. The soundtrack only plays on menu screens, but the few songs here are excellent. That's not surprising though given it's almost entirely, if not completely, from the movie Glory.
Bottom Line:
I enjoyed The History Channel Civil War – A Nation Divided for the setting and History Channel clips, and little else. The gameplay is simply underwhelming compared to most modern shooters, with an almost arcade-like ability to mow down opponents despite the use of frustratingly limited authentic 1800s weaponry.
I believe with all of my heart that an excellent FPS based on the Civil War can be done, and this could’ve been it if not for the easily corrected problems outlined above. If you’re still interested, I suggest giving the $29.99 PC version a look first – its system requirements aren’t that steep, and it’s a much better value despite the lack of achievements and leaderboards.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
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| 5.5 |
Posted: 2006-12-05 16:31:46 PST