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Full Spectrum Warrior

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7.6 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 26 critic reviews
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Based on 12 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: THQ

Developer: Pandemic Studios

Genre(s): Real-Time Strategy, Third-Person Action

Players: 2

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Release Date: September 21, 2004

Summary

Full Spectrum Warrior is based on a game commissioned by the U.S. Army to train light Infantry troops in urban combat situations. Soldiers are placed in a tense, hostile, and claustrophobic environment where they must complete a variety of military objectives. Players act as the Squad Leader, providing direction to Alpha and Bravo fire teams. The successful Squad Leader effectively uses cover in the environment and moves his fire teams in a coordinated fashion so they can protect themselves from possible attacks that could come from any direction. Full Spectrum Warrior puts you in the dirt with your men, where danger lurks around every corner. [THQ]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central GameSpot Guide

Also On The Web: EuroGamer Preview GameSpot Preview IGN Hands-On Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Game Chronicles

A game like no other. It almost rises above the definition of the word “game”, but you can’t argue that there is a lot of challenging fun and addictive gameplay to be found in this attractive package.

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PGNx Media

Visually, Full Spectrum Warrior is quite a looker. The game’s various urban settings are very realistic, further adding to the authentic nature of the game. The texture work is quite good and shows in detail the various deprived and underprivileged Middle Eastern cities that the game mimics.

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Worth Playing

It is a good game that is well thought-out, plays well (assuming you take the time to learn the game) and is a very satisfying experience.

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Gaming Nexus

While I would liked to have had a bit more variety (the ability to carry a fight inside a building, for example), it is a very impressive first effort for this new genre.

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GameSpy

The interface works a whole lot better on the PC, and if your machine is up to running it all maxed out, then it will look that much cleaner. All this aside, however, the game itself is intense and utterly engrossing.

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PC Gamer

An intense and demanding simulation of modern urban combat. [Dec 2004, p.70]

IGN

The only real problem is that the game lets you have everything immediately and never really steps up the strategy and tactics into new and interesting territory. Creativity and style aren't necessarily an option.

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ActionTrip

Probably one of the best tactical military shooters I've played. It's authentic, gritty and highly original in the way it was executed. And it requires you to use your brains for a change.

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GameZone

Not only the best military sim of recent times, but one of the most intense and exciting strategy games ever created.

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Computer Games Online RO

An entertaining game with an excellent interface and decent AI.

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Jolt Online Gaming UK

It’s repetitive, a little on the shallow side, and probably not for your average twitch gamer, but it’s also highly original and extremely entertaining.

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Eurogamer

Still, nitpicky design and technical limitations aside, the 12 hours or so that you'll be playing the single-player game are almost always enjoyable, challenging, and entertaining.

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Computer and Video Games

It's beautifully simple, but also brings an element of tension as there's always a few seconds between issuing commands by tapping the left mouse button, and seeing them carried out on the battlefield.

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Edge Magazine

Whatever you conclude about the bigger picture, this is special stuff. The claustrophobic buzz of flies, the distant muezzin drone, the desperation as you crouch uncertain in the dust whilst your men call frantically for orders will lodge in your mind long after you've walked away from the game. [July 2004, p.98]

Yahoo! Games

A fascinating strategy game mixed with a lot of tactical shooter elements. Additional online modes and some gameplay tweaks would have earned the game a higher rating, but as it stands, it's still a thoroughly entertaining and involving experience.

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Game Over Online

The good news: there’s a co-op mode. The bad: it’s limited to two players. It’s the work of the solo campaign divided in two, which may possibly be fun for you and a friend, assuming you’ve got broadband and a microphone. The ugly however: there are no publically-hosted campaigns to be found, anywhere, despite built-in GameSpy support.

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Gamezilla!

I just wish there was more of it to enjoy, and something has to be done about the multiplayer - it just wasn't enough. If ever there was a game that cried out for a sequel, Full Spectrum Warrior is it.

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GameSpot

Often ends up feeling like a string of puzzles whose solutions are pretty obvious. Nevertheless, Full Spectrum Warrior is very good overall, and deserves credit for being something other than just another military-themed shooter or strategy game. It's just too bad that it isn't more involving.

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Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

Full Spectrum Warrior's heritage as a US Army training tool is all too evident. Pandemic nearly forgot they needed to make a game too, and as a result FSW is too realistic, too automated - and not enough fun. [PC Gamer UK]

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PC Format

Ample proof that thinking men are welcome in the modern army.

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GMR Magazine

PC players have a set of expectations that couldn't be met without more solid A.I. That, plus unfulfilling multiplayer, takes away any chances for a Medal of Honor here. [Jan 2005, p.122]

AceGamez

If you are a fan of tactical shooters then it is a great alternative to the norm of clichéd tactical shooters; everyone else may want to try before you buy however, as the limited nature of the gameplay and the speed at which you can complete the single player campaign might not be enough to keep the average gamer entertained for very long.

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Computer Gaming World

It'll eventually dawn on you that you're playing the world's most elaborate version of tic-tac-toe. [Holiday 2004, p.94]

Boomtown

Relentless, exhausting and unique, although Full Spectrum Warrior is certainly one of the most innovative strategy games we’ve played for some time, it’s not always a wholly satisfying one- it often feels too much like hard work. Good, but not quite the classic it could have been.

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Computer Games Magazine

It never really takes off, seeming perpetually stuck in neutral rather than shifting to the higher gear it feels like it should achieve. [Jan 2005, p.64]

Gaming Age

More a glimpse into how a real Army fire team moves and engages enemy forces than it is a challenging real-time strategy game.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.6 (out of 10) based on 12 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Aaron D. gave it a0:
Another politically incorrect, militarist, anti muslim, american junk.

Andy W. gave it an8:
This game is unique in that 2 players can play the campaign in muliplayer co-op over a LAN, or the internet. Players are controlled from a third person view, except when using hand grenades and grenade launchers, which you control first person style. The AI is scripted, trigger based and usually spawns in the same places, which means that replay-ability is limited. However, it still requires teamwork and tactics to complete a level. The 'suppress and flank' tactics become routine by the end of it, but it is still enjoyable. There was an annoying bug which crashed the game to desktop after most in game auto-saves. This was irritating, but the game saves were always ok, and it just meant restarting the game and continuing on. There were no patches avaible when I played it (early 2005) and web support was minimal. An enjoyable game with some innovative features. Worth getting especially if you're looking for a combat game with a mulitplayer campaign.

[Anonymous] gave it an 8:
Good game but not great.

H. S. gave it a 10:
A tactical shooter where your troops do the shooting. It all gets down to how you plan your soldiers operation. The troops do the fighting, rather than you have to tell them exactly what to do. If bullets rain on them they won't run away from cover just because you want to. A truly amusing and challenging game. A bit on the easy side but that's a minor problem.

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Full Spectrum Warrior

Game Info

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