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Ironstorm
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Game Name:
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Ironstorm |
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Console:
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Playstation |
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Reviewed:
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Unknown |
I got Ironstorm free with Hegaemonia (sp) and since I was a bit brain dead from the flu I decided to play Ironstorm first. Long time readers will recall there was some debate against the good review that PCPP gave it since the demo seemed kind of crummy. The reviewer justified their stance by saying they'd played the full game and not just the demo. Accusations of bribery abounded. Having played the game myself I must say the reviewer was either a) Bribed. b) On crack. c) Bribed with crack or d) Loves poorly designed games.
IIRC the reviewer talked about the snipers who can be found in the game. He said if you manage to take them out you can go explore where they were and find a cache of health and ammo. I found around 90% or more of the snipers are located in places you simply cannot reach so don't go looking to them for goodies.
Let's take a look of the plot shall we? Your character gets sent out to try and destroy a new type of bomb that the enemy are developing. Conviniently the development is at a factory just a short distance on the other side of the front line. It seems keeping secrets and common sense aren't what the enemy are good at. During the trip to the factory it seems like the phrase "front line" doesn't quite make sense as you come across allied troops behind enemy lines. On your way there you run into some kind of super trooper with a fast firing rocket launcher and heavy body armour. This guy is a major pain to take out since he's in a tunnel making dodging rockets near impossible. You run into others with similar weapons and armour throughout the game. Quite a number of times I die within seconds of opening a door since someone on the other side has a grenade launcher. Doesn't everyone bring a grenade launcher into CQB?
Eventually your hero finds he can't fight his way into town so he has to sneak in via a prisoner truck. In doing so he needs to offload his heavy weapon and sniper rifle but can keep his pistol, shotgun and all his grenades. Apparently the enemy guards are so macho they'd never think of patting down someone to check for weapons and they can't count so they don't notice another prisoner joining the line. Now, when you arrive at your destination you might think of blowing the door open with a grenade or shotgunning the lock. No need, one of your fellow prisoners has a key and the door lock can be opened from the inside. Conviniently outside the vehicle are weapons and ammo which only you seem interested in grabbing. The other prisoners always get discovered and killed which at least buys you a few seconds of time to kill the enemy soldiers.
Not long after you overhear some guards talking about special forces on your side being in town. Apparently they are aware that you have been taken prisoner as well. That's right, the guards recognised you and didn't see the need to search you for weapons. Later you run into a strange firefight between two groups of soldiers, both of whom are your enemies as they both will attack you if they win the firefight. Wierd.
Finally you reach the enemy factory and go down a lift to the secret lab. Immediately you are met by a pair of guards who insist on you surrendering. Since you've left a hundred enemy corpses behind you it makes no sense to surrender. Apparently the developers realised this and if you decide to kill the pair you get thrown into a fight with two invincible guards. That's right, invincible, you simply can't kill them which makes no sense at all. It would have made sense if the door locked and the room flooded with gas but no, the developers decided to make the reason for your compliance to be stupid. Soon after being locked in a giant tube to become a human test subject you manage to escape when a fellow test subject makes a break for freedom and the glass of your tube gets shot. WTF? How is the tube supposed to hold you if it isn't even bullet proof?
For much of the rest of this section and the next section in a train you have to try and be stealthy. Except this isn't Thief or Metal Gear. Enemy units can sometimes notice you even if you are crouch moving and twenty metres directly behind them. So I found myself getting killed often, often by the same invincible guards. Eventually you get hold of a gun and can start shooting, apparently the invincible soldiers had finished for the day at that point.
Onto the train where you manage to recover the sample, again you are supposed to use stealth here but for the most part, forget it. Now once you have the sample bomb (they never say what kind of bomb, I'd guess a nuke but it's so small) you find that you need the key to open the sample case. The key is being held by the absolute ruler of the enemy forces so you need to invade his home and, if possible, put a bullet in him as well. Gee, of course, are these people F(^(&%& crazy? Finally after a heap of exploring and fighting you are beaten to the punch. Some other baddies decide to kill the head baddy because he suddenly decides he wants peace and because the bomb is so dangerous. So much for a big boss fight.
In simple terms this game is bad in terms of plot, logic and gameplay. It did not deserve a good review in PCPP.
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