Delta Force Black Hawk Down Team Sabre

by Vivendi Universal

Product Features

• First-person shooter with exciting play and graphics
• Wage war over the internet across 5 new terrains and 30 multiplayer game types via NovaWorld
• Added mod support for building unique multiplayer battlefields and single player maps
• Very realistic scenarios and graphics
• For 1 to 50 players using LAN or Internet

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00012FOCG
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: January 20, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,960 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Game Informer Review

No developer creates the feeling that you're part of a bona fide Special Forces operation better than NovaLogic. From the briefing to the exfiltration, playing Black Hawk Down is an intense, visceral experience. Team Sabre expands on the original with three new vehicles and weapons, as well as 11 original missions set in Columbia and Iran.

The BHD engine, though a little old, has had every last drop of flavor squeezed out by the level designers – each setting does an excellent job of recreating the ambience of a real-world location. In addition, the missions showcase quite a bit of variety. Whether it's a quasi-track shooting sequence where you're manning a .50-cal while trying to break into a fortified compound, clearing out a bunker with a shotgun, or taking out anti-aircraft guns before your choppers get into range, Team Sabre never falls into a rut.

Though three additional firearms and vehicles isn't a whole ton, there was certainly no shortage of either in the original BHD. Playing as a British SAS commando, new in Team Sabre, is definitely cool – there's nothing like listening to your squadmates complain about Yanks and their myriad failings. And, of course, the new weapons, skins, maps, and everything else just add to the fun of multiplayer.

That's one thing BHD has head and shoulders above the competition – multiplayer support. NovaLogic's Internet service, NovaWorld, does everything from tracking tons of player stats to hosting servers for players around the globe to battle it out. I can't stress enough how much I appreciate being freed from the minimal functionality of GameSpy. And who doesn't enjoy seeing just how elite their skills are?

Team Sabre does suffer from the technical limitations of the BHD engine, however. Draw distance could be better, squad command is very average, and many of the textures can only be described as unfortunate. The biggest problem, though, is the ridiculously small cone of fire for each and every weapon in the game. Also, there's no waver when using a sniper scope, making camping a bit too effective. Enemy AI doesn't react very well to player action, either – most of the time it seems to be stuck on either "suicidal assault" or "completely oblivious."

Anyone who doesn't already have BHD has been missing out on one of the best FPSs of recent times, and Team Sabre is just icing on the cake. It may not be the most revolutionary expansion pack in the world, but it integrates seamlessly into BHD, and is more than worth its $20 price point for any FPS fan.

Concept:
Prove that you don't need a Tom Clancy license to make a good Special Forces FPS

Graphics:
Somewhat dated technically, but the environments are varied and cohesively designed

Sound:
Sub-par firearm effects, but incredible music

Playability:
As good as it gets. Being able to roll while prone is nice, and there's no better lean function to be found

Entertainment:
Black Hawk Down continues to be one of the better FPSs around, and you can't go wrong by putting Team Sabre on top of it

Replay:
High

Rated: 8 out of 10
Editor: Adam Biessener
Issue: March 2004

2nd Opinion:
Team Sabre is a welcome addition to one of the most popular recent FPS titles. Since it is an expansion, the gameplay is essentially the same as BHD, but with some extra goodies thrown in here and there. Unfortunately, improved AI is not one of those goodies. I just don't feel like a tactical powerhouse when the smugglers I'm plowing through can't even point their guns straight, or when they inexplicably fire rockets at their own installations. There are plenty of enemies to make those mistakes, too, since generic opponents seem to generate magically offscreen, like in old 2D brawlers. I would have rather seen the endless strings of enemies replaced by fewer, more intelligent ones. Thankfully, Team Sabre has an impressive online component, so you can spend more time outwitting human opponents than fighting an AI that practically fights itself.

Rated: 7.75 out of 10
Editor: Joe Juba


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Product Description

Delta Force - Black Hawk Down: Team Sabre puts you in th elead of a deadly anti-terrorist campaign. Lead your men across jungles and deserts as you destroy threats to peace and liberty!

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Installation Confusion, but Good Game., February 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Delta Force Black Hawk Down Team Sabre (CD-ROM)

I bought this about a week after it was released and I have to say it was an excellent game! Here are some pros and cons.

PROS

1. Better Team AI(You can actually depend on your men to kill some of the enemy
2. Better Enemy AI(Look out for those RPGS--they're dead accurate. Never fall into the path of an enemy manned 50 cal)
3. Longer Levels(More fun, and unpredictable)
4. Three New Awesome Guns
5. 3 New vehicles(A SF boat, a heli and an armored car that is pretty weak)
6. Play as Delta Force, US Ranger Corp., and the British SAS
7. Improved Graphics
8. Improved Sound

CONS:
1. Confusing Installation(NovaL is waay to protective of disc copies so you will need the first CD to play it, which it doens't say anywhere on the box and it took me a few hours to figure it out.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good expansion - Poor / Confusing installation, February 12, 2004

By 

Bob (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Delta Force Black Hawk Down Team Sabre (CD-ROM)

This is a good expansion pack to a great game. The game will give you at least several hours (and possibly quite a bit more) of quality entertainment. For $20, that's a pretty good value. The game makes some improvements over the original, which is nice. The new missions and gear are all very well done additions. Installation and instructions are poor, however. Once you install and update the game, you must use the original BHD disk for gameplay. The directions don't mention this important fact. Illogical, confusing, but not a deal-breaker.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good game, Very hard install, February 14, 2004

By 

pc gamer (huntington beach, ca usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Delta Force Black Hawk Down Team Sabre (CD-ROM)

People are right, if you get through the install its a fun game. It took me a few weeks of trial&error and calls and emails to novalogic...they finally emailed me back with helpful info. I had to uninstll the original BHD and BHDteam sabre then reinstall both CDs. Some installation pointer: 1)after you install team sabre cd you must insert original BHD cd to play Not the team sabre cd 2)if you want to uninstll team sabre you must uninstall both team sabre and the original BHD then reinstall the original BHD cd. Yes this unfortunately deletes all saved games. People should go to the novalogic web site for step by step install instructions. Dont forget to update the game once you finish install. At last you get new weapons, new vehicles and new missions in columbia and iran. Its fun playing now but sure was a pain to install. Hope this helps.