If Basic Training is not your idea of fun, you are out of luck. The Wargames mode is essentially an organized game of paintball, with four two-part missions designed to give you a better understanding of different roles within the Army. Gamers used to the run-and-gun gameplay of most shooters will go insane, as the game takes a more realistic approach to combat. Gamers will need to take a slow and steady pace when crossing terrain, and need to get the order before taking shots at enemies. It makes for a decent, but unnecessary, lesson in Army positions and patience, since you never really get to utilize them in the game. True, you can head online and select your role prior to starting up a match, but in the craziness of online battle, since when does anyone have a plan, let alone a specific role?
All the while, in the offline portion of the game, your soldier is awarded skill and honor points based on your performance. You can assign the skill points to one of five categories: marksmanship, physical training, fortitude, medic, or valor. As you begin moving the points to the different categories, you will begin to notice a difference in the way your character plays in specific situations based on the skill points in each category. You receive, or lose, honor points for performing duties specific to your role on the team, and determine your rank. It is a solid system, and since there is so little to do offline, gamers will have to earn their points online.
The game bets big on its online modes for its success, but comes up well short for several reasons. First, and most importantly, if you are going to lean so heavily on online multiplayer, you had better make damn sure gamers are going to play it. Games with the fan-base of Call Of Duty or Halo can get away with cranking out online-only games at this point. A new franchise on the system does not have nearly the same built-in audience, and it shows here. It is common to find games with only two or three members on each side, which feels far too small for a game that supports full eight-on-eight battle or sixteen-player co-op.
Secondly, the online modes are lacking. There is a co-op campaign to play through, but it is also too short, with only eight levels to clear. This is where the rank and role should become important, but your experience will only be as rewarding as the people you end up playing with make it. Some gamers fail to understand that being a bossy douche bag is not 'leading' your team. The game also offers various other squad-based battle modes and a few solo levels of 'competitive training', which is about as exciting as it sounds. The game offers up thirteen maps in total, which is a decent, but not substantial number.
Lastly, the game plays quite a bit like the GRAW franchise, but lacks its polish. When an opponent shoots you down and you are lying there writhing in pain, there is no button to 'die' and remove yourself. This sets up for extremely frustration situations where the enemy will shoot you, hide, and wait for one of your teammates to come and heal you, then shoot him. This process, especially on a slow-learning team, typically results in nearly your whole team rolling around on their backs like flipped turtles while a single enemy lies just out of sight giggling.
