Frontlines: Fuel of War (Xbox 360)

The battlefield comes alive, especially online, in this slightly futuristic shooter.
3/18/2008 12:00 AM | 0 Comments | Page 2 of 2

Another difference, oddly, doesn't favor multiplayer. While up to 32 people can play online at a time, the battlefields are so huge that, even in games of 25 or more, you'll spend more time running than you will gunning. In single-player, though, there's never a shortage of people shooting at you, making it the far more exciting of the two. While the seven multi-part missions in single-player go by rather quickly, they're so action-packed, and have so many ways they can be completed -- using vehicles, sniping, etc. -- that this ends up being like The Club: a game you finish in a weekend but play many times over.

Just don't expect it to be a tough weekend. If the single-player mode has a failing, besides its length, it is its lack of difficulty. Even on the "regular" skill setting, your guns are clearly better than the other guys', while the over-abundance of ammo containers on every battlefield means that you could probably play the entire game with a missile launcher if you wanted to do so.

Conversely, the multiplayer mode is a bit of a bitch, though mostly because the servers are already dominated by Battlefield veterans who have this type of online game down cold, making it rather daunting to noobs or people who just suck at these kinds of things. It doesn't help that, while the menu is clearly built to accommodate others, this only has the one aforementioned multiplayer mode. There's no "Deathmatch," no "Capture The Flag," no nuthin'. While some might argue that every game has those modes, the popularity of "Team Deathmatch" on COD4 would seem to suggest why.

Ultimately, Frontlines manages to be something few other first-person shooters ever pull off well: It is equally fun for multiplayer fanatics as it is for people who don't play well with others. Sure, the story mode could be longer, the multiplayer maps could be a little smaller, the buttons could be better placed, and people online could give me a chance to get my bearings before they pop multiple caps into my flabby ass, but if none of these are deal breakers for you, then this could be your kind of imitation.

This review was based on a retail copy of the game provided by the publisher.