Arguably one of the most popular PC gaming genres today is that of the first-person shooter. With cult classics such as Doom, Quake, Counter-Strike and Unreal all vying for the attention of the cash-strapped gamer, new titles are hitting the market at an almost alarming rate.
Recently, local PC gamers were treated to the launch of Battlefield 1942 and Unreal Tournament 2003 in successive months. These titles have revitalised what has become an almost stagnating market.
While Counter-Strike is still the game of choice for competitions, Battlefield 1942 should soon be in contention for this honour (once all the bugs have been ironed out). The outlook for the first-person shooter genre looks good with both Quake IV and Doom III set for an early 2003 release.
However, when a gaming genre is proving to be as popular as this one, titles are coming out that cannot compare with the pacesetters. These titles set out to be different, but inevitably something gets lost between the drawing board and the implementation, with the majority of games ending up being mediocre at best.
Sadly, Rage`s Mobile Forces falls into this category. Take a look at some of the promotional material: "Mobile Forces offers explosive vehicle combat combined with traditional first-person action.... Drive your team-mates across the vast military styled environments, or ride 'shotgun` blasting your enemies with the assault rifle."
Sounds good doesn`t it? It is just a pity that this title has been released at the same time as Battlefield 1942 and Unreal Tournament 2003. Mobile Forces comes with almost everything a first-person shooter fan would want. It has 11 environments ranging from the Wild West to polar bases and features eight game modes that include such favourites as team death match and capture the flag.
Not only that, but Mobile Forces allows the player to practice with (and against) bots to perfect his or her fighting strategy. Most importantly, the game allows you to jump inside a vehicle, whether it is an APC or a buggy, as either a passenger or a driver.
If all of the in-game features sound familiar, that is because they are. It seems the developers have taken the best elements out of a range of top-selling first-person shooters and put them into Mobile Forces.
While there is nothing wrong with doing this per se, it is just that this is done so badly. Having recently been wiped out in a Counter-Strike competition (no thanks to Comztek), I couldn`t help getting a feeling of d'ej`a vu while playing Mobile Forces.
It has the same terrorist/counter-terrorist feel to it due to the majority of urban environments and it also allows you to purchase items at the beginning of each round or when you respawn after dying (sound familiar?). Probably the best element of the game - the vehicles, also seems old hat after the success of Battlefield 1942.
If Mobile Forces was released say, at the beginning of the year, it would have been a great title. Unfortunately, by today`s standards, the quality is lacking in most departments. What the game does have going for it, the low system requirements, doesn`t really say that much as most gamers are being forced to upgrade their old machines in any case.
So why should you buy Mobile Forces? To put it bluntly, you shouldn`t, as some of the other titles in this genre give you much more bang for your buck. However, it is not all doom and gloom for Mobile Forces. This title could make a nice introduction for newcomers to the genre and younger players getting their heads around first-person shooters. Seasoned first-person shooter fans need not apply.
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