'enjoy the frontline'
 Developer: Kaos
Publisher: THQ
Category: : FPS
Multiplayer: 1 - 32/50 Xbox Live
Official Site
Platform: X-Box 360
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Date posted: 28 March 2008
Written By: Ian
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Fuel of Multiplayer
What will happen when the world runs out of oil? What would happen if China and Russia teamed up in an alliance against the West? What would happen in a new Cold War?
These questions are 'answered' in "Frontlines: Fuel Of War" for Xbox 360, a new multiplayer focused shooter from developer 'Kaos', responsible for some of the most popular 'Battlefield' and 'Battlefield 2 mods'.
Can this new developer come up with the goods for its first standalone game?
War Gameplay
Gameplay-wise, Frontlines is very similar to the Battlefield games.
This is no bad thing, as there are expansive battlefields, loads of weapons and vehicles, a dynamic approach to missions, and multiple objectives. This all sounds amazing, but the game has some flaws, especially in single-player.
  
Some of the controls are not that tight, especially with planes, which are incredibly difficult to fly properly without suiciding!
The limited draw distance can sometimes be a problem when it comes to being sniped by the enemy, who can see you before you can physically see them.
Also, the campaign AI is not brilliant, and whilst they take cover, storm you, strafe and the like, you can't help but feel they seem somewhat stilted and stupid in some way. They just aren't real. I found that the campaign is a bit too short which is a real shame. Hopefully the developer will release some DLC in the near future.
There is a good amount of replayability, but this doesn't excuse the paucity of levels in the game.
Graphics and Sound
Graphically, the game is pretty good offering detailed textures and animations. The tanks, weapons, soldiers and levels look pretty good, and the art style fits a futuristic war really well.
There is also one superb, stand-out section in one of the levels where nukes are being launched at you, which is simply stunning and one of the most outlandish, outrageous and fantastic experiences in a game I have ever seen.
The cut-scenes are also particularly impressive, with a nice mix of in-engine and FMV.
However, the game has some fogging and texture pop-in which could have been solved if the developer had some more time to finish the game. The draw distance really should be better, even if the detail levels are low in the background.
  
Dedicated Multiplayer
Frontlines is only the second game on the 360 to feature dedicated servers. And this is fantastic news. Some servers support up to 50 players, and you can have frantic, lag free battles.
Servers fill quickly, and there is a good community building up.
All the vehicles and drones are there, and you unlock the better ones through playing well.
The gameplay is the same as the single player, but the fact you are playing against humans makes the whole experience so much better. The experience is somewhat ruined by the rubbish chat options, but Kaos is committed to fixing this issue.
Their support looks to be strong, and with new maps on the way, patches and new servers incoming too, hopefully the multiplayer experience can only get better.
Conclusion
"Frontlines: Fuel Of War" is an excellent first effort by developer 'Kaos'.
It has a reasonable single player, that is fun to play through, even if it is too short. It also has some replayability value, which is good. Then the multiplayer, which currently has some small flaws, has the potential to become massive. The games are normally lag-free, and with up to 50 players, vehicles, drones and plenty of weapons, the game is a real blast to play online.
In time, "Frontlines: Fuel Of War" will probably be one of the best multiplayer games on the 360.
-Ian
Ratings
Manual:
78 % |
Graphics:
86% |
Music & Sfx:
92% |
GamePlay:
85% |
|
This game scores
on our 5-point Rating System
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