My initial byline for this review was, "Close, but no cigar…" After
doing some extensive playing of Brute Force I can say with confidence that it's a very good game--possibly one of the best games out for the Xbox in my opinion and much
better than my first impressions of it. You have to play through many missions to get there but it's worth it.
It has grown on me.
True, no Halo killer or the Next Big Game for the Xbox but a very solid effort with superb graphics and riveting game play. At first glance I thought the game would have
made an excellent launch title for the Xbox in the fall of 2001. It would have. But since then I've really come to appreciate it for what it is--a solid squad based
action game with lots of shooting and tactics.
There were a lot of initial comparisons between Brute Force and Halo in the gaming press before its release. Really, the only comparison is the controller set up which is
identical to the Halo in every aspect. There are also some strategic elements to the game that mimic Halo as well. There are other minor things like the firing reticle
flashes red when an enemy is targeted and pressing the left trigger button to toss a grenade and right button to fire and so on. But it ends there.
Unfair Coverage
Before I get into the heart of the review I do want to address the unfair press coverage of this game. So far I've read reviews that are not only inaccurate but a read
like the reviewer hadn't played the game or at least, didn't spend the time with it that was needed. To say it looks dated is a cheap shot. It's like they are
disappointed at Brute Force for not being the next big thing and are taking it out on it.
For example one reviewer stated that Brute Force was a "mindless shooter" with no tactical features. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Sure you can bull
rush the bad boys with guns blazing in the easy mode but that doesn't work at all in Brutal mode. Hence, the need for a more tactical approach. It depends on how you
approach the task at hand.
Or, bad character AI. That's one of the more far out claims. I haven't found it to be bad at all. Sure, if you tell the squad to fire at will, they will get chewed up.
But the best way to command them is to tell them to stand their ground and then order each one to a position or task. It's all in learning of the command and control
structure of the game, which apparently the reviewer didn't bother to do.
At any rate, on with the review!
The Heart of the Game
For those not in the know, Brute Force is a squad based sci-fi combat game. You have four team members: Tex a big, brawny guy with high firepower; Brutus a Lizard alien
and Jack-of-all-trades; Flint the sharp shooter; Hawk the scout and stealth expert. Each are clones except for Flint who is synthetic, but all can be regenerated when
killed off. Each has special abilities, which you get by pressing the controller's white button. These abilities last for a short duration but are restored after a short
wait.
Selecting team members and giving them orders is as easy as pressing the D-pad. Expect to be using it often to give orders and move your people around. There are only
four commands: Stand Ground, Fire at Will, Move To and Cover Me. This sounds terribly simple but it is very effective system for commanding the squad. Besides, in a
firefight things don't need to get complicated.
You start out the game with just Tex then the others are added after each mini-mission is completed. This helps get the player integrated into the game mechanics and
makes for a nice tutorial to learn each team member's special abilities. Once all four team members are together the serious action starts.
The movement of the team and enemies is very nicely animated. The characters can walk, run, crouch, shoot and jump. The hair moves on the female characters as they move
about. Movement is limited in some areas and some things can't be done-no climbing up the mountains or trees and some objects can't be jumped on. Some narrow
spaces I got some of my team members jammed in--permanently. Enemies have the "rag doll" physics effect working on them and look very realistic when they fall.
If shot on ramp they'll slide or roll down it. However, I haven't found the enemy AI to be all that it was hyped. I read some where that if you threw a grenade it would
sometimes be thrown back at you. I haven't seen that yet. Or the enemies could out flank your position. I haven't seen that yet either. They do duck behind things but not
for very long. They do however, put up a good fight and keep you busy defending the team and completing your objectives.
On the other hand, the squad AI can be a bit loose at times. It's easy enough to tell them what to do but if you are not careful they will rush into combat without
any regards to personal safety. I only use the Fire at Will command is the enemies are few. You can calm them down a bit by using the Stand Ground command and then moving
them up all up individually. That can be time consuming but it helps you keep them alive the longest.
The tactical elements are interesting and really make the game. Some critics have said there are no tactics to speak of but that's simply not the case. It's really cool
to place your squad members in a defensive position while you choose another character and outflank the enemy location for some intense firefights. Or set up your team
members so you can spring an ambush. There should be a lot of creative leeway in how you approach each combat situation and certainly more than you get in many games of
this type.
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Graphics
In a word--stunning. It's defiantly next generation with first-rate texturing, pleasing colors, shading and ambient effects, such as light, fog/smoke or fire. Explosions are well done. Everything is very sharp looking from the character models to the weapons and gear. Metal objects and parts have the appropriate sheen and equipment has a used look. The texturing is extremely tight and well done. I thought the wood and bark textures were particularly well done along with metal surfaces. The cut scenes feature terrific animation of all of the characters with gorgeous color and lighting.
One of the nice graphical feature is there is the graphic clipping is barely noticeable. Clipping is the graphics flaw that you can see in most 3D games where a character passes through an object that it shouldn't be passing through--such as a wall or tree. Brute Force has little of it except where a character walks through foliage like flowers or grass. I've seen a gun barrel pass through a tree or a rock but the characters are so small on-screen that it's not an eyesore like it is in Splinter Cell.
The graphics feature some nice ambiance as well. One mission places the team in a jungle setting with beams of light coming through the forest canopy that fade in and out. There's a slight mist from the humidity and you can see bugs flittering about and leaves dropping out of the trees. Nice! The background sounds of birds and insects chirping are nice too. One mission has you on an asteroid. The graphics here are simply stunning with a huge planet that rises and sets, asteroid debris moving about and random pieces that fall and explode. It's nice just to sit back and watch it all.
The viewing system in just about perfect. It's usually a hassle in third person games (Super Mario Sunshine will drive you nuts!) but the folks at Digital Anvil have ironed out the problems very agreeably. It's one of the best viewing systems you can experience in a video game and rarely unwieldy. It's very easy to look around at things in the environment and the camera tracks everybody very satisfactorily.
Multiplayer
I don't have anybody to test this feature with so I got out a spare controller and went at it alone. Multiplayer is broken down into either one on one death matches or team against team firefights. There are plenty of med packs, warm points and ammo about so you never run out. One cool thing is while playing the single player campaign mode you can have a friend join you by simply plugging in a second controller (live) and pressing the start button. The screen will spilt and you are ready to go with your friend controlling one of the team members. Very easy! This is a very nice feature and I don't think it has ever been implemented on the Xbox before.
Sound
Overall the sound track and sound effects fit the game well although it is Brute Force's least outstanding feature. There are no memorable tracks like you find in Zelda, The Wind Waker or Halo, but it all works well together. The voiceovers don't feature the variety of the Marines in Halo but they are adequate. I wouldn't say the voice acting is bad, just sufficient. Yes, their comments do get monotonous at times, like hearing Flint say she loves her job but it's livable. The sound effects for the firearms and various explosions are well done and in great variety. Some have complained that they explosions don't sound loud enough but just crank up the volume you'll get the noise.
Replay Value
I've found the replay value to be quite high in this game. It's one of my main critique factors for a game and it's very good here. Just go in via Brutal mode and try
to get through with your team intact. It's not easy! I've yet to do it.
Bonus Disk
If you preordered Brute Force you'll get an extra companion DVD set and hint book for Brute Force. One disk is made up of game demos and the other are movies and trailers for Halo (going back to 1999) and Brute Force (which are already on the game disk). If you hadn't preordered you aren't missing much. The playable demos are already available from other sources and hint booklet doesn't tell you anything you can find out from the
Internet.
Incredibly, I've seen this disk at Wal-Mart for on sale for $49.95--what a waste of money that would be! Try eBay if you
really want it. You'll get it much cheaper.
Overall
Like a said above, Brute Force grew on me. Sure it's not perfect. There is the usual graphics clipping and frame rate lags here and there but it's not enough to ruin the game.
The squad AI is a bit dodgy at times although the enemy AI is pretty good. I guess the Master Chief casts a long shadow. But once you get out from underneath it you have a fine action game to play. I would rank Brute Force up there with the better games for the Xbox. I like it a lot. Digital Anvil has shown that is a serious developer for the Xbox and I admire its commitment to quality, which it has shown in this first release for the Xbox. The lack of Xbox Live support is an odd omission but perhaps with the delays the game had gone through there wasn't time to include it. Too bad because this game would have been great online.
It gets a 4/5
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