Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers - Playstation 2 (PS2) Review


	Platform Playstation 2 Genre Strategy / Action Publisher THQ Developer Pandemic Studios ESRB M (Mature) Released March 28, 2006

- Fans will be able to jump right in - Generally good presentation - Depth of control is very good

- Not being able to just take control of units can be quite frustrating - Overall control takes a while to learn - More of an evolution than any great leap over the previous game

Review: Full Spectrum Warrior (XB) Review: Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (XB) Review: Commandos 2 (PS2)
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Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers

Score: 7.0 / 10

It's such a cop-out to start a review with this but, Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers is simply a re-hash of the original console iteration. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing but if you were expecting a massive "Booya!" new experience you'll be somewhat disappointmed.

Like the previous Full Spectrum Warrior game, you don't directly control any of the characters. Rather you issues orders, which always made me think Ten Hammers should be controlled with a mouse and keyboard. I'll give the developers credit though. There's a depth of control options here that make you feel in control of your squad every step of the way. It can be a complicated learning curve if you're new to the system, but all it takes is a bit of practice.

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Though you're dropped into a heavy fire zone -- the war-torn nation of fictional Zekistan -- there's not much of an option to "run and gun" through to dozen or so hours that the campaign presents. Instead you must carefully pick your way through each area using flanking maneuvers, using the new precision fire mode, and generally just being careful. While the AI of the enemy units is generally good, on the lower difficulty setting they might as well be holding a sign that says, "Shoot me!" with a big arrow pointing down.

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Often their movements make no sense -- they run from one piece of cover to the next just so you have an opportunity to drop them more easily. This is mostly a non-issue when you're playing on the higher difficulty settings, when one misstep can pretty much wipe out your entire squad. But even the best enemy AI can't compete with real-life opponents and that's probably where Ten Hammers shines most brightly. You can play both co-op and "deathmatch." (Due to my spotty broadband connection I wasn't able to spend as much time as I wanted with the multiplayer.)

On the graphics and audio fronts -- a lot safer than the real front -- Pandemic Studios didn't pull any punches. The violence is rendered at a realistic level here. There's blood, gore, and plenty of profanity. Too often you'd see a game like this go for the Teen rating and we'd get a less-than-realistic depiction of the damage real war creates. The sound design is also good with plenty of ambient stuff going on, though your appreciation of it will depend quite a bit on your audio setup.

Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers definitely has the tactical gamer in mind with its depth of control, which can be difficult to come to grips with but the rewards of excuting moves properly brings its own certain satisfaction. Still, those expecting a straight-up modern warfare game can safely give Ten Hammers a miss.

- D.D. Nunavut

(April 17, 2006)