DFX Review - Gaming Source

[DevilDog#1]

Preview ...

The Delta Force series is one of those timeless classics that has stood firm through sequel after sequel, since the initial release of Delta Force 1 in 1998. Delta Force: Xtreme is heralded as an update to the original Delta Force game with better graphics and better game play. Lets see what Novalogic have managed to do with this revamp of the original.


I have to admit that my first taste of the Delta Force series was with Delta Force: Land Warrior, the third in the series. I immediately fell in love with the game’s huge boundless maps and frantic sniper-on-sniper action across rolling hills, mountains and dunes. It really was a nice refreshment from games like Rainbow Six that tended to aggravate me – too much planning before hand that got destroyed by a lone unforeseen terrorist. So I hit Land Warrior head on and had an absolute blast. Same goes to be said for Delta Force: Black Hawk Down, it was by no means revolutionary or graphically advanced, but the pure fun game play the game offered made up for some of the short-comings in the game’s design and no doubt I played the game for hundreds of hours online.


So on to DF:X. As already mentioned the game is meant to be an updated version of the original Delta Force game, and it definitely keeps true to the look and feel of the series. Players have the choice of three separate single-player campaigns or a diverse array of multiplayer experiences. It is my personal opinion that the Delta Force series’ strongest attribute is its multiplayer functionality. I know some of the people who enjoy DF definitely prefer the single player, but for me it’s the multiplayer game that really makes it worth while. So once I installed the game I headed on to NovaWorld to pick up a game. As far as I know the game’s only been out a short while in the US and won’t be released in the UK until May 6th, so it was extremely hard to find a server to play on that had a respectable ping (being a UK resident), but I bit the bullet and went in to try it out.

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[DevilDog#1]

Both the multiplayer and single player aspects of the game incorporate player operable machinery including buggies, hummers, bikes and helicopters as well as the weaponry mounted on to them. This opens the game up significantly compared to the previous Delta Force games (not counting Joint Operations) and I can’t really decide whether this is a positive or a negative thing. On the one hand having vehicles enables players to get to the action more quickly as well as remove sniping campers that have been pestering the CQB (Close-quarter) specialists. On the other hand it’s also caused a very nasty habit of spawn camping with gattling-gun-totting helicopters and a diminished use for snipers on most maps. Personally I think I would have preferred the game without vehicles, but once again, that’s just me. They can easily be eliminated with a couple of Anti-Tank rockets anyway, but inevitably shooting rockets is like placing a huge neon-lit sign above your head saying “I’m here, shoot me!!!”.


The game’s graphics are respectable but by no means astonishing. The whole premise of the multiplayer aspect of the game is that players can go ANYWHERE on the map. You’re not bound by linear movements and choke points that the enemy simply needs to camp out on. The maps really are limitless and, if you really wanted, you could spend 10 minutes running (or driving) in a huge arc to find yourself behind the enemy’s spawn area. Now to me, that’s revolutionary and something I attribute to the Delta Force series. Of course, it isn’t revolutionary now since it’s been done in all the past DF games, but the very fact the game has this sort of capacity gives it high brownie points in my books. Because of this the graphics engine needs to take in to account that the player is going to be able to see for miles in every direction. Nearly all the multiplayer maps take place in sparsely populated areas (like moors and deserts) and as such the player is able to take in an amazing view of the surrounding landscape – that is before the sniper on that far away hill places a bullet between your eyes. As far as I’m concerned the graphics don’t amaze me, but they’re not detrimental to the fun I had in playing the game.


All-in-all the multiplayer side of the game is still as fun as ever to play with map capacities of up to 32 players. So it’s by no means as large as Joint Operations but it’s enough to get some pretty intense fights in games like Team King of the Hill and Team Deathmatch. My most notably fun time playing the game over the past week has to have been the Co-Operative multiplayer that allows you and up to ten others to join in with missions from the game, working together to complete specific objectives. It takes away a lot of the frustration of being killed three times in a row in your spawn area by camping enemies and just lets you shoot some fish in a barrel, while still remaining relatively challenging. As with previous Delta Force games NovaWorld will track your online battles and report to you a multitude of different and interesting statistics, including your total amount of kills, deaths, shots, hits, etc.


After getting utterly annihilated by some veterans in the multiplayer I decided to cut my loses and try out a few singe-player missions. As always the mission briefings are written out with a snippet of information regarding why this mission is important. Each of the three campaigns has a general storyline to them and each mission will progress that storyline. When on a mission you’ll be briefed on your current objective, which will normally involve securing a specific area of the map and inevitably taking on a whole company of enemies in order to achieve it. The enemy A.I. is less than intelligent, but the gameplay does not diminish because of this; there’s so many enemies coming at you most of the time that you’ll have your hands full trying to stop them before they over-run you. In previous Delta Force games I’ve found the single player aspect to be a little tame yet I managed to enjoy myself with DF:X, but I’d highly recommend doing the co-operative missions with friends or people online rather than playing by yourself.


Overall you’ll find that Delta Force: Xtreme is an enjoyable experience with challenges to be had both in single player and multiplayer. DF:X retails at £19.99 in the UK and $19.99 in the US, so if you’ve been putting off trying out a new Delta Force game because of the price then now’s your chance. Get out there, buy yourself a copy and take the bikes for a spin, you shouldn’t be disappointed.

Added by Dark0ne on 03 May 2005