Conflict: Global Terror

The Conflict series still doesn't learn from its mistakes.

You'd think that by the fourth game, a series' designers might take some of the criticism leveled against them to heart. In the case of Conflict: Global Terror, you'd be wrong.

Visualize Whirled Peas
Global Terror seems intent on delivering a more cinematic experience, with it's semi-slick cut-scenes and scripted enemy appearances, and its most noticeable improvement lies in the visuals. Though the engine enables improved detail and some cool muzzle-flash and tracer-fire effects, strange lighting choices and some murky textures keep the graphics from approaching the likes of Rainbow Six 3. Aurally, there are some interesting embellishments, like your ears ringing when too close to prolonged shooting.

Control Freak
The irritating controls of the previous three games are back. First-person mode plays a bit better than it used to, but giving orders is as time-consuming and unwieldy as ever. It's invariably quicker to just do it yourself, which would be fine if you could count on the others to behave themselves in the meantime, but you can't. Sure, they'll shoot back if fired on--until they run out of ammo, no less--but best of luck getting them to comprehend that standing on a live grenade, or facing directly into concrete, is unwise. The added ability to issue delayed orders is useful for ambushes and simultaneous breaches, but the time it takes to set up such a maneauver saps the excitement, and an annoying limit on the number of times you can save in a level destroys any incentive to experiment.

There's some fun to be had, but it's hard-won, and with so many more graceful examples of the genre to choose from, Conflict: Global Terror is hard to recommend. Dedicated fans of the series will find a challenge, but the cumbersome controls and questionable AI remain most effective kill-joys.

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