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Field Commander
- May 23, 2006 10:28 AM PST
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If you're looking for the PSP's answer to Advance Wars, look elsewhere.
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PSP owners looking to be armchair generals need look no longer. Sony's handheld now has its own military strategy game available - akin to the Nintendo DS's Advance Wars - but fitting the systems more sophisticated pedigree, Field Commander eschews the cartoonish visuals for a more mature military experience; or at least it tries.
Hold This Position
The first thing to notice about Field Commander is that it's a hefty game. It offers all the hallmarks of a typical strategy game, including a campaign, quick battle, and versus (both through ad hoc and infrastructure) mode, while also including a fairly robust mission creator. The same can be said about the number of units available. There's a handful of different "divisions" each with their own strengths and weaknesses, and the over 36 different units range from the usual tanks and grunt soldiers to stealth bombers and submarines.
Unfortunately, the expectation of an Advance Wars type game with a lot less puerile banter and improved 3D graphics falls flat on its face. Granted, the graphics are impressive with a top down perspective used for giving orders and assessing the battlefield while a closer, ground level view is present for battles, and the dialog - all spoken - is taken more seriously than a game like Advance Wars. But in the process of making Field Commander appeal to a more hardcore audience, Sony Online Entertainment also made the game far blander than it should be. Unit design is purely uninspired and the story and accompanying dialogue are as trite as the next game.
Bail Out!
And the gameplay really isn't any better. Moving units is straightforward enough, but if you want to move them further than their current range, you can't queue moves, but must instead wait until the next turn to move the units again; one of many minor, yet still frustrating, inconveniences. An erratic framerate is another such hassle that seems to occur all too often when the camera is closed in on combat. But worst of all, the game just doesn't feel all that fun to play. Missions become a chore to complete, and it's telling when the mission creator is more enjoyable to play than the actual campaign. Even the multiplayer can't save the game, since the same tedious gameplay is present, now merely shared with another player.
Is the game horrible? No, there are far worse games on the PSP and other platforms, and there was clearly effort put into the game, and it shows. But for all its attempts otherwise, Field Commander offers only mediocre enjoyment.
