Military Video Games, computer games - Air Force Times

Game review: ‘America’s Army: True Soldiers,’ 3 stars

Honestly, it’s not that surprising that the new “America’s Army: True Soldiers” console game feels a little flat when compared to its competition.

For more than five years, the Army has handed out the PC version of the game to anyone who wanted one, pushing out 24 updates to more than 5 million gamers worldwide. The effort to stay on the cutting edge of computer gaming has paid off, as “America’s Army” consistently ranks among the most played PC games in the shooter field.

However, console gaming is another world entirely.

Players familiar with the “America’s Army” concept — a competitive game, but also a hint of what it means to be a real soldier — won’t be surprised to find a grouchy drill sergeant waiting to chew your head off as you progress through a variety of weapon familiarization courses, working your way through training in preparation for hitting the war zone.

In the single-player campaign, that means eight missions designed to rescue the fictional country of Ghanzia from a revolt by militant rebels.

Unfortunately, this console version of “America’s Army” has to be compared with the likes of “Call of Duty,” which also jumped from PC to consoles but managed to remain one of the hottest military games going.

Training goes down much like other “AA” games, with drill sergeants walking you through the ins and outs of the various weapons. From there, you move to the line, fire off a few rounds at the pop-up targets, qualify and move on to the next weapon.

It’s realistic, almost too much so, as acquiring targets is rough and makes the game move slow. Console gamers hate slow.

Gameplay in multiplayer mode makes it clear that sticking close to your squadmates and putting rounds downrange together is the best strategy for success. If you get hit, your buddies can apply first aid before the enemy puts you out of your misery.

An on-screen compass keeps you oriented toward the bad guys, who are represented by red dots as you approach their positions. But it’s still possible to run into an ambush, so you have to be careful not to run headlong into trouble.

You can fight with standard-issue weapons such as the M16 rifle, M9 pistol or grenades, with which you are equipped at the start of the mission. But other weapons — sniper rifles, heavier machine guns — can be found as you play.

Graphics are smooth and clear, but some glitches were annoying, such as environmental features that shouldn’t snag your character but do. We’re playing demo versions, however, so it’s possible those problems will be solved in the final cut.

Unfortunately, playing the demo seemed more frustrating than fun. There’s a high learning curve for novice players. The controls felt clunky and a tick slow most of the time, and finding yourself writhing on the ground wounded before discovering who’s doing the shooting is a little too common.

The artificial intelligence for enemy troops in single-player mode isn’t ground breaking, as they do seek cover but sometimes are slow to recognize your presence. At other times, they surround your squad and kill you quickly no matter what you do.

For a game based on squad-based tactics, friendly, AI-controlled squadmates are pretty dumb. Frequently, they bunch up to the point where it’s difficult to maneuver under fire.

It seems the game developers have reached a crossroads with this popular series: Do they make the game fun to attract as many players as possible to what is essentially a recruiting tool, or do they make it more realistic and infinitely less playable?

Where the producers of “America’s Army: True Soldiers” really hope to shine is in the multiplayer arena, allowing gamers around the world to log into Xbox Live, recruit teammates and wage fictional wars with real soldiers — semi-real, anyway.

As with most multiplayer games, users will be allowed to choose specific names for their clans. But they won’t be selecting any real-life units, as those have been reserved specifically for, well, true soldiers from those units who sign up to play.

Still seen as a recruiting tool, the “True Soldiers” game is packed with information about the Army that has nothing to do with the game itself. That’s not a big selling point for a game that costs $59.99, but if you build it, they might come.

Will it be the next “Halo 3”? Not likely. The game play here is too clunky to really be the next big thing.

But, “True Soldiers” is rated “T” for Teen, which makes it a little more parent-friendly. And parent-friendly means holiday sales.

Oh, you sly recruiters.