Precision fire, driving tanks
Being the director of the action and watching your troops miss the enemy A.I. with some poor shooting, or failing to follow your orders exactly, can be frustrating; you’d be forgiven at times for wanting to take the God damn guns out of their hands and blast the enemy yourself. Yes, I know the Full Spectrum Warrior series is all about tactical play so perhaps I’m being a bit harsh, but at times controlling the friendly A.I. can be teeth grindingly annoying.
Click for larger imageIn addition to issuing orders, Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers also features a new targeting feature called ‘Precision Fire’. It gives those gamers who seek a more hands-on approach to the action something to get their teeth stuck into, but sadly it’s pretty unimpressive.
Precision Fire does little to help the accuracy of your team mates shooting. The right trigger activates this feature and, over the rifleman’s shoulder, you’ll zoom in on the action. Once he has locked onto a target the cursor changes red and you’ll need to press the ‘A’ button take the shot. This precision firing mode varies depending on which soldier you select and which weapon they have equipped. For example, if you choose the Grenadier with an M203 grenade launcher a targeting reticule will appear. The main problem with this ability is the delay between pulling the trigger and firing the shot, and the fact that you may blow up your own troops in the process. This could, of course, be put down to skill rather than any underlying problems.
Click for larger imageFull Spectrum Warrior Ten Hammers also introduces a couple of new units, a Bradley tank and an indigenous scout who can move freely behind enemy lines. The commands for both of these units work in a similar vein to character controls, albeit with some of the more complex orders omitted. The tank is a welcome addition to the franchise, and comes equipped with two weapons, a machine gun, and a cannon. It’s easy to control and you can even run over enemies and disperse smoke grenades. The downside to using the Bradley tank is the fact that one carefully placed shot from an enemies’ rocket propelled grenade will blast you to pieces. Nevertheless, driving the tank is a refreshing change to the ground combat
The control system does offer a great deal of depth for those willing to explore it and, despite the friendly A.I. being unresponsive at times, there are some compelling moments, but for the most part it feels too much of a chore to get past the difficult A.I. soldiers.