Just when gamers
thought that World War first-person shooters have overstayed their welcome,
along comes DreamCatcher’s excellent entry into the bonanza, Iron Storm. With a
sharp attention to detail, great enemy AI, and multiplayer modes, Iron Storm
could very well be the surprise hit this fall for desktop soldiers.
The story takes
place in 1964 during World War One in Central Germany. That’s right, 1964.
Iron Storm is set in an alternate history in which World War One never ended and
has been raging for fifty long years. Evil political consortiums have even been
making money off the war, through the improbable use of armies on the stock
exchange, and these evil consortiums will continue to make money as long as the
war exists. As Second Lieutenant James Anderson, part of the Allies, your job
is to hunt the consortium down, destroy it, and take out the maniacal Baron
Nikolai Aleksandrovitch Ugenberg, head of the enormous Russo-Mongol Empire,
along the way.
Iron Storm can be
played in both first-person and third-person, a warm addition to the slew of
first-person shooters already released. The third-person perspective allows for
easier sneaking and infiltrating, while the first-person view is used for more
traditional wartime tactics, like blowing a German’s head off from 150 yards
away. Switching views is simple as pushing a button, and the change occurs on
the fly.
Iron Storm is a
mission-based game with about 30 hours of gameplay. The six missions vary from
kill everyone in sight with squadmates to infiltrate a stronghold by your
lonesome.
Because Iron Storm
takes place in an alternate history, the creators of the game have been allowed
certain creative licenses with settings, weapons, and vehicles. Even though
this war is technically World War One, many of the technologies found in World
War Two are present on account of the length of the war. Players will find
automatic weapons, penicillin, and tanks along with gritty World War One
elements such as gas warfare, trenches, and barbed wire. You can’t pilot any
vehicles in the game, but there are stationary guns you can man in order to
unleash lead into the opposing army.
Iron Storm
features an intelligent AI that would make Big Blue envious. Enemies won’t
simply stand around while you pop some caps in their homies as is the case in
some other first-person shooters. Shoot one of their buddies, and they’ll call
for backup. Enemies will hide behind objects and be very patient, often waiting
for players to let their guard down and ambushing them. It’s war, and it feels
like it.
The developers of
Iron Storm, 4x Studios, did an excellent job of creating a world that looks like
it’s been ripped apart by fifty years of war. Rubble is everywhere, bodies lay
strewn on the ground, and buildings have been reduced to fragments. This
provides plenty of cover for snipers, ambushes, and sneaking around.
Another aspect of
Iron Storm that sets it apart from other games is the attention to detail,
especially with the simple things. When in first-person mode, you can look down
and see your feet. When picking guns up in third-person mode, you can actually
see the gun on the player’s person. It’s these small details that gamers should
appreciate and add more realism.
Iron Storm is
expected to be released this October.
