Iron Storm

I first played Iron Storm around when it had launched in 2002. At the time, I was about 10 years old and newly introduced to the shooter genre with titles such as Call of Duty, Soldier of Fortune, WII: Normandy, and Conflict: Vietnam. Having been a history buff from a young age, I remember being quite intrigued by the game's setting: an alternate history where WWI never ended in 1918, but actually surpassed the timeline of WWII, persisting into the story's "present" year of 1964. As you progress, the reason why these events came to pass steadily becomes clear, as it is rooted in a reality disconcertingly similar to the military industrial complex of the real world. In terms of gameplay, having revisited Iron Storm 18 years later (thanks to one of GoG's wonderful sales), I can corroborate now the assertion I had when I was 10: This game is brutal, but not impossible, especially with the allowance of quick saves. The weapon loadouts are pretty standard archetypes, though the aesthetic for each is a delightful marriage between turn-of-the-century and post-war industrial manufacturing. For both the player and the enemy, snipers and explosive weaponry are instant killers, which, in my opinion, isn't entirely out of left field. Regardless, if you're cautious and approach this game tactically, you can survive without scumming saves. The devs also built in (many) ways of rewarding players who explore. Often times, when there is a massive group of enemies ready to unleash hell, there will be a path to outflank and catch them off guard. Although, I will admit that some levels can be a little counter-intuitive to figure out, but I've seen far worse from modern titles. With my character limit approaching, I'll just close by saying that this is a neat little game with lots of detail despite its age and budget and certainly well-worth picking up for this price. Also, as was my conviction when I was young, blowing fools up in Iron Storm never gets old.

And old school FPS (or TPS if you want) that feels like the first Half-Life, but with exacerbated issues of Half-Life. I havent played this before so this game is quite new to me, but based on other reviews Im not the only one experiencing fatigue from the gameplay. The graphics here are fine for a game thats from 2002. The sound is also fine, with decent dialogue available in game. The story is set in an alternative reality where the first world war never ended, has lasted 50 years and is still going. There are 2 sides fighting - Russo-Mongols and United States of Western Europe. You fight for the USWE of course, and your goal is to kill the leader of the Russkies. There is also a theme of corporations making money at war, but its not written in very well. Its fine to support and guide gameplay, but nothing more. The gameplay however..... You have a limit on certain weapons you can carry, its a decent limit, but a limit non the less. You can go through the game either with first person or third person mode, but in TPS mode the crosshairs of your weapons will jump around quite a bit as you fire. Even in first person view I often found the spread/accuracy of my weapons to be pretty bad. The damage they did was also sometimes questionable. But thats not the annoying part. You know that old school gaming grind, where unless you know the game very well, youre going to die a lot? Well, theres plenty of that here. The F5 is used often. It boils down to whether you like struggling to get that sense of achievement by navigating a grueling game. I get my sense of achievement elsewhere, so I dont like this type of gameplay. Its not a problem of realism, as some people claim. Its a problem of not knowing what to expect. So, if youre fine with the "trial and error" gameplay, you can give this a go. Otherwise, look for something else.

This game has a very unique identity I would say. It's also pretty unforgiving at times, yet satisfying. I got it in CD at release and got it from GOG again when it got on sale. The premise is great, a dystopian alternate history, a lone wolf type character, unique settings, interesting weapons and gameplay mechanics. Keep in mind though, this game is more on the "realistic" side of things. This is one of the aspects that I liked best about it. You get shot in the head, you die instantly, you step on a mine, you die, you get a shotgun blast to the face, you die. You are NOT a bullet sponge, get it? Also, you get to carry only a couple weapons, which is also coherent with the rest of the game. Do you really expect to run around with a bazzoka, a shotgun, a sniper rifle and a machete? I don't think so. The game also ramps up real nice, the story pprogresses nicely and it's interesting, the difficulty, although insane at times, seemed ok for me, it fits with the rest. A game for those that like tough love from their games and don't want it handed to them, for sure.

I generally really enjoyed this, some good levels and while yes enemies acn be a pretty good shot, you get used to the need to take cover and scan your environment. You also need to get used to going back and forth through levels to accomplish all you need to, which once you realise taht it becomes easier. some enemies are only defeatable in certain ways or with certain weapons which is important to note so you're not banging your head against a brick wall. overall it's a game that tries to make you think as well as shoot - I'd ceratainly recommend it. Gameplay-wise it reminded me a bit of Soldier of Fortune 2 (one of my favourite games btw) although i think the graphics are a little better and it's less linear. I'd wish it would let you keep all your weapons but it's not as bad as some - you can three main weapons (as well as a knife) - sniper rifle, pistol/smg and assault rifle/heavy weapon. plus four types of grenade :)

This game has atmosphere that has yet to be matched in any other game I've played. From beginning to end, you're exploring a world that is cold, dirty, and depressing. While the gameplay isn't perfect (the biggest flaw, I think, is the amount of back-tracking you have to do), it is a near perfect balance between twitch skill, creative tactics, and following clues. This is not a game for people who need their hands held by waypoint indicators. You need to move carefully everywhere you go, and save often - because you WILL die often. The graphics, I feel, hold up pretty well. Textures are detailed. The level of gore is entertaining. The sound is also very atmospheric, and at times ground shaking. When you step on a mine, or get attacked by an exploding dog, or get shot by a tank, you feel it.