Game Review - by James Allen
There's nothing I like more than strategic first person shooters. So when I heard NovaLogic was coming out with a new Delta Force game, I shrieked with joy like a little schoolboy. Modeled after the U.S. Army program of the same name, Delta Force Land Warrior features tons of weapons, expansive outdoor locales, and involving multiplayer. Will this version snipe the competition, or be blown to bits?

Features:
In Delta Force Land Warrior, you assume the role of one of five specialists to carry out specific missions. Each of the characters has an area at which they are particularly adept in: there is a demolitions expert, a swimmer, a heavy gunner, a runner, and a sniper. Although you will not be necessarily deficient in your areas of non-expertise, choosing the correct soldier for a particular situation can give you an advantage.

To help these advocates of freedom, you can be outfitted with the latest in high-tech weaponry. Sniper rifles, machine guns, assault rifles, sub-machine guns, pistols, explosives, and other auxiliary gear are all yours for the taking, and it is necessary to have a wide range of weapons for different situations to complete your objectives successfully. In addition, you are given a computer unit, complete with a GPS system, wind indicator, and waypoint and weapons information. The high-tech soldier of the future is here now!

There are two modes for single players: quick missions and campaigns. There are 10 quick missions available at first, and every time you successfully complete a mission that is part of a campaign, it's added to your quick mission list. As for multiplayer, there are a multitude of types of games available through NovaWorld, the online lobby. Multiplayer game types include cooperative, deathmatch and team deathmatch, normal and team king of the hill, capture the flag, search and destroy, attack and defend, and flagball. A lot of thought went into developing different multiplayer modes, and hopefully there is one that will appeal to everyone.

Sound FX:
The sound is also appropriate, but not unforgettable. Each weapon sounds realistic, and the death sequences of your victims are gruesome, yet strangely humorous. Each character has a distinctive voice, and most changes in objectives are conveyed by sound. You really can't use ambient sounds to pinpoint your enemies, and since you have the GPS system, it's really not important. Your footsteps do slightly change, depending on which terrain you are crossing, but it's unnoticed above all the screaming. All in all, the sound does not giveth, nor taketh away.

Gameplay:
Each of your missions progresses as a linear path of objectives: complete objective A, move on to objective B. Thus, none of your actions (except your death) will affect what particular objectives you may encounter. In fact, nothing changes on replay of a particular level: the same number of opposing forces appears in the same places, with the same timing of triggered events. This greatly reduces any replay value if you choose to revisit any of your completed levels.

The AI in Delta Force Land Warrior is bad, even on the highest difficulty settings. The AI usually has two reactions if you shoot and miss: either stand around, or try to shoot at you from an excessively far distance. Both situations make the AI easy pickings. Plus, they can look you right in the eyes, and not react to your presence, or the fact that you are aiming a semi-automatic weapon right between their eyes. They will not seek cover. They will run directly towards you. After battling with such great AI in games like No One Lives Forever, the stupidity of the AI in this game really shows. Target practice at stationary objects that will incorrectly (if at all) react to you gets old very quickly. The challenging aspect of the game comes from the sheer number of opponents randomly shooting at you, not the skill of each villain. Because of the AI, the single player missions are too easy, and become tiresome too rapidly.

To eliminate the effect of poor AI, one only needs to access multiplayer. Accessing NovaWorld for Internet play is pretty easy, and the servers are usually full to the brim. Plus, you can play a multitude of online friends (NovaLogic touts up to 50). With all the multiplayer games available, the replay value really comes from this aspect of Delta Force Land Warrior. It is pretty evident that the first focus of NovaLogic was multiplayer, and why not? Internet gaming is big business these days, with multiplayer-only games such as Unreal Tournament and Quake 3. For those of us with slow connections, single player is not a good consolation prize. An attention to more AI detail could have made both the single and multiplayer elements memorable.

Graphics:
The graphics in Delta Force Land Warrior are pretty good. Since most of the levels take place in large and expansive outdoor areas where you can snipe from kilometers away, a high-resolution terrain model is demanded and delivered. Even with the indoor areas, textures are not generic: you'll see bricks sticking out and fairly detailed interiors. Land Warrior really presents you with a hilly, enveloping, and believable environments to carry out your missions in.

Overall:
Make no mistake about it; Delta Force Land Warrior is a multiplayer game. With shoddy AI, the single player element seems like an afterthought slapped on by NovaLogic so the third Delta Force installment wouldn't be pegged as an Unreal Tournament/Quake 3 wannabe. However, if you are a strategic multiplayer aficionado, Delta Force Land Warrior should not be missed. But for the rest of us, look elsewhere for an attractive strategic single player FPS.