By James Johnson
First person shooters are not easy games to make. The genre has been around
for a while and it seems like the chances of a developer coming out with a new
smash hit grow smaller every year. The balance between gameplay and graphics is
one reason for this problem. There are FPS games with beautiful graphics, but
suffering from average to substandard gameplay. At the opposite end of the
spectrum, there are FPS games with great gameplay but lackluster graphics. To
really hit it big, the developer has to put both together. Bet on Soldier:
Bloodsport tries to make this happen, but sadly falls short of greatness because
of small annoyances and basic problems.
The graphics in BoS: Bloodsport end up looking pretty choice on the optimal
settings. This is a bonus for the developer Kylotonn because you, as a typical
gamer, should be able to run the game at its optimal settings because it only
calls for a Geforce 6 and an Intel 3.0GHz or AMD equivalent. For some gamers
this distinction may be important, especially considering other FPS games like
Quake 4 can take far more than a Geforce 6 to run at optimal settings. The
environmental detail in BoS is on par with the best games out there. During
combat the fire, light bloom, hallucination, and dizziness are all pretty
smooth. Overall the game plays pretty smooth with the occasional hang or stutter
upon encountering a BoS competitor. The character detail is average, the players
seem to glow from sweat constantly, and they look a little like plastic action
figures at times. The maps themselves are pretty expansive but still very
linear. Additionally the objects around the map are plentiful and done well, but
your level of interaction is next to zero. This basic problem of object
interactivity is a good example of how BoS falls short of the mark from a small
annoyance and basic problem. Forget picking up a box, you can hit the use key
repeatedly in a weak attempt to nudge the box, but even this basic object
interaction is missing.
The story behind the game is pretty simple and it sounds similar to both The
Running Man and Bloodsport. In BoS: Bloodsport you play as Nolan Daneworth, a
mercenary fighting in the Bet on Soldier televised competitions. You live in a
world controlled by two multinational corporations that specialize in nothing
but defense equipment and weaponry. Everyone in this world works for the war
machine somehow. BoS is a creation of the corporations to appease the people
similar to the movie The Running Man. Since you enter into competition with
other soldiers, each with a various skillset in the hopes of becoming champion,
the game also parallels the Jean Claude Van Damme classic, Bloodsport. Somewhere
in there is a quest to uncover the mystery of your wife’s death at the hands of
BoS competitors. Don’t bother yourself with these minor details though… As
you progress through the game various cutscenes move the story along. At the
conclusion of the cutscene you are brought to a world map where you can choose
your next mission. After choosing your mission you choose your BoS opponents,
weapons, and fellow mercenaries. The actual Bet on Soldier action comes during
the missions at various points along the way. The game will stop and introduce
your opponent, countdown from 10, and then competition will begin.
This storyline and features feed directly into the gameplay discussion. BoS
is a typical first person shooter with some fairly common weapons. Each weapon
though, and all its ammo cost money, so you better be at your best when taking
on the BoS competitors. Win more money, and you buy the best of the weapons and
plenty of ammo. Movement and control is simple, almost too simple. Compared to
the movement in Quake 4 or Half Life 2, BoS looks pretty clunky. Again bringing
up the simple problems, movement up and down a ladder or on stairs is a problem.
The character seems to move OK, but the movement is clunky, often awkward and it
doesn’t seem to have the same smoothness as the other FPS games currently on the
market.
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