Review: Frontlines Fuel of War

Gameplay: 8
Sound: 8
Graphics:8
Value:8
Overall: 8.4

The Good
.Great online play
.Good presentation
.Large variation of weaponry and veichles
The bad
.Story and characters not explored enough
.Bog Standard Campaign
.Only one online mode

Over recent years THQ have moved on from children's games and movie tie-ins,like Wayne's world (yes we remember and don't forgive), what has come of THQ's change is something not entirely original but a hell of a lot of fun to play.

The basic story revolves around how Russia and America are fighting for natural resources hence the pun "fuels of war". So the two sides are the Western Rebellion (American's) and Red Star (Russian's). On first glance of the cover is a game of resemblance to Battlefield. The game is very similar, large online battles and lots of veichles.

The career mode is linear, however, the game uses large open maps so which objectives you do first and how you do them is pretty much up to you. So you can jump straight to the frontline (Rambo style) or try a bit of espionage and flank the enemy. To begin with there is a lack of veichles but they are there but won't last long with the enemy having rocket launchers. The career continues with similar situations but the difficulty increasing and objectives becoming different. As you progress more character and weapon options become available and you have to decide the best for the mission. You are thrown straight into the action and as far as I can tell your life's seem to be infinite.

Some may find the run, hide, shoot system boring but if you enjoy taking out a large amount of enemies using this very system then you've found the perfect game. Some missions you have friendly A.I. which will help a little but not significantly but at least they do kill some of the opposition as opposed to be a standing prop in the background.

The graphic presentation is very nice and realistic but has a similar feel to that of the outfit. The rocky terrain of the Invasion map looks very good. Even without HD the graphics look very nice.

The 32 player online in Frontlines makes the online an exciting and altogether fun experience. Generally the maps are large enough to hold the 32 people without feeling cramped in. Also I have expereinced very little lag even in games with the full 32 people.

Getting into online is very easy and simple. You have the 3 basic options similar to team fortress 2; Quick match, Custom match, host match. What's good about the online is how developers Kaos Studio's offer there own servers to play online with which helps to reduce lag. Some sites have disliked Kaos's servers but there pretty much lag free and the easiest way to get into a large player match.

Frontlines could be a bit more varied online. The only online mode is 'frontlines' thats it. Frontlines is basically a capture the flag game with elements of team deathmatch. During online play you pick up in-game exp. The exp can only be used in the match you obtain it in. This is used to boost the skills in your specialist area you choose for example if your area was air support after a few kills and taking of some objecives you unlock the usage of a larger, more powerful airstrike. This offers something to aim towards as you play and gives you more options to take down enemies, giving more fun. The online, despite having only one mode is probably more fun than the main campaign.

Frontline's utilises the traditional leaderboard also so you can compare your skill to that of others in the world. Plus you can check out where your friends are so you can gloat if your higher.

The game has a fairly decent score which you can listen to if you purchase the special edition. The score is quite rocky and relatively catchy. It fits snugly into the gameplay without becoming repetitive or over-used.

Frontline's is a game that on the surface appears to have little to offer but the game itself offers a whole deal more. While the campaign is fun, it is the online that makes this game. Fans of Battlefield will like this game and it should put them on until the release of the third Battlefield which has been delayed along with a whole host of EA games. Frontlines could shape up to be a serious contender with the Battlfield series and it will be interesting to see if there are any future sequels that with a few touch-ups could make a war game classic.
~~Sean Linley, 360Stage Editor~~