Full Spectrum Warrior

by THQ

Product Features

• xbox
• Video Game
• action/adventure
• Combat
• shooter

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: B000160MCO
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches ; 5.1 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: June 1, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,535 in Video Games (See Bestsellers in Video Games)

Product Description

Platform: Xbox

Product Description

Tactical combat games are evolving, and this game allows urban warfare to take a higher step up. Traditionally speaking, it has always been the tactically minded PC gaming crowd that's enjoyed these ultra-realistic types of games, but this game was designed for the xbox.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars overview of the game, February 24, 2004

By A Customer

Tactical combat games are evolving, and this game allows urban warfare to take a higher step up. Traditionally speaking, it has always been the tactically minded PC gaming crowd that's enjoyed these ultra-realistic types of games, but this game was designed for the xbox. With a beefed up AI system, this game allows more realistic reaction to urban combat (stance, formation, ROE, using cover for protection. This game removes the first person shooter aspect--although you will not shoot directly(pull the trigger) you can give commands as to where to point the gun and shoot or throw a nade', move individual warriors to where you want them. This forces people to use cover more, rewards brains instead of fast trigger fingers, and allows you to connect with your platoon (you even read the letters they write home), soldiers distribute ammo among each other, soldiers work with each other(one will crouch down while another stands when around a corner to maximize covering fire). It even takes other factors like damage to buildings, being sensitive to their culture(enter a mosque, you can't fire your weapon-thus alternative solutions are required), securing the dead-remove their weapons so other can't get the gun-or children, ROE (rules of engagment) This game was designed for the military first, but they made some modifications for the customer version (make it more fun), more storyline(completing the process by adding what many shooters lack, a good story to motivate the player) and it has xbox live! Graphic wise, it looks like eye candy, and I brought the xbox system specifically for this game. Many people will be turned off by the lack of firstpersone shooting, but I believe they made the right choice because too many games are too much of a run-n-gun type--even american's army (although they made it realistic) has too much of a run-n-gun type situation. Sure, gamers don't really care to play an Army simulator that operates with excruciating realism, but full spectrum warrior has a good blend of tactical, squad-based gameplay and hardcore action together. With many games hitting the market promising a realistic combat experience it is nice to see a team actually developing a game with just that. Full Spectrum Warrior promises to be the first in what could be its own genre of games.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This game is amazing, May 27, 2004

By	G. Brayton "Frozen Beans" (California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In response to the idiot from Bronxville...

People can play games before they're officially released to the general public. I played this game at the THQ booth at E3 in Los Angeles for about an hour. It is amazing. The AI is spectacular, as are the graphics, sound, and playability. This is truly the next generation of tactical "war sims".

And to Saraa from UK...

This game is set in the fictitous country of Zekistan. It has nothing to do with Iraq or violence against Muslims. In fact, one of the main characters in the game is a devout muslim who is also a member of the U.S. military.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A thrilling and fun alternative combat game, November 14, 2004

By	M. S. Hillis (Lynnwood, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

So there I was, up to my knees in bullet casings. I'd safely guided my two teams through the perilous streets of Zafarra, capital of the central Asian hotspot of Zekistan. We'd been taking out insurgents while on the trail of terrorist mastermind Mohamed Jabbour Al-Afad.

As we moved down one deserted street, pausing only long enough to eliminate a solitary enemy who opened up on us from an alley, a technical suddenly rolled out of the next intersection, laying down heavy machine gun fire and pinning the eight of us behind a burnt-out kiosk.

I sent Bravo team scurrying back down the alley while Alpha hunkered down amid a hail of .50-caliber bullets. Within a couple minutes, Bravo had emerged one block away to flank the technical. A sniper who was dumb enough to leave himself exposed on a balcony was quickly dispatched with.

Although the technical began firing on Bravo, I ordered Alpha to draw their attention back by firing on the enemy from behind their cover. This allowed Bravo to scamper down the street and duck behind a wrecked car, a position that put the technical within range of the M203 grenade launcher. Bravo's grenadier popped up, aimed, and within seconds a zooming 40 mm frag lit up the technical and turned it into a smoking hulk.

That was just one of the many tense scenes I encountered in "Full Spectrum Warrior", a fantastic combat title that delivers adrenaline in copious quantities. The game scraps the usual first-person perspective in favor of a third-person view in which you control two teams, each with a team leader, grenadier, rifleman and squad automatic weapon. Rather than rushing enemies with a minigun in each hand, the point here is to employ basic Army tactics of using cover and laying down sector fire to have your teams achieve various objectives.

The tactics are fairly straightforward and easy to get a handle on. There are few nice bonuses as well. At some points in the game you will get temporary control of a third team. The pair of Ranger snipers in one of the final levels was particularly sweet. Some objectives will also have you call in air strikes on certain targets.

The graphics are fantastic, rendering the soldiers and cityscapes with realistic detail. There is a nice heat shimmer effect that gives the experience somewhat of a dreamlike quality. Recently I saw some photographs of U.S. Marines in Falluja, and was amazed at how much they resembled scenes from "Full Spectrum Warrior". In one level that left my controller moist with sweat, you work your way through alleys during a sandstorm, the limited visibility added to the tension.

Adding to the realism is the constant banter - much of it foul - coming from the soldiers, some of whom develop distinct personalities in the course of the story. The game reminds us that for all their fearsome gear, soldiers are pretty fragile - a couple AK rounds will take your guys out of action. And don't even think about leaving a man behind. If you lose a guy to enemy fire, you in fact lose two, because you have to assign someone to carry the wounded until you reach the next aid station. And if someone is killed, game over, you incompetent loser. Restart from the last checkpoint and try not to screw things up this time.

Some reviewers have been disappointed at a lack of absolute authenticity, i.e. the fact that some enemies labeled as behind cover still appear totally exposed, making it impossible to take them out with fire from certain angles. This misses the point, which is to get players to think tactically about combat situations and not rely on pixel-perfect shot placement to dispatch large numbers of enemies.

You can finish the game on regular difficulty in about 15 hours, which I found to be of perfect length. Any shorter and it would have felt lacking in depth. Any longer and it would have been in danger of being repetitive. As it stands, the game left me feeling like I really accomplished something, yet at no point did I feel bogged down in levels thrown in as filler.

I heartily recommend "Full Spectrum Warrior" to those looking for a great alternative to the raft of FPS military games already out there.

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