The levels in the game are pretty long and can be challenging on the highest
difficulty setting. This is more due to the strong AI of the enemies in
the game than to tricky puzzles. The levels are pretty linear and while it
is important to select the right squad member at the right time, it is not often
difficult to know who that squad member should be. Brute Force's long
levels would be brutal themselves if not for the fact that your team members can
be cloned. Completing objectives and killing enemies rewards you with cash
bounties, cash that can be spent to resurrect fallen comrades through the magic
of cloning. You are even given the opportunity to recover the DNA from the
corpse to make the cloning easier for the lab and cheaper for you. Your
cloned squad members can re-enter the game at mid-mission checkpoints, sparing
you the torture of restarting a level from the beginning once you've lost your
squad. Before you get too reckless with your squad it would be wise to
note that the game does not allow deficit spending - it is possible to fail a
mission because you ran out of both squad members and funds.
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| Indoor environments include giant hollow trees. |
The game's campaign does a good job of introducing you to your squad one by one
by adding them one at a time over the first four missions. These first
missions are also designed to emphasize the skills of the the newest squad
member, allowing you to get a feel for each of their strengths. After that
the missions get longer and tougher, and you will be in for some extended and
brutal firefights. The missions are fun in that they are certainly full of
action, which helps distract you from the fact that there is not a lot of
variety between them.
Brute Force supports multiplayer play both as player versus player combat and as
cooperative play through the campaign's missions. The game is certainly
fun in multiplayer mode, especially when you play the campaign missions and must
rely on each other's unique skills. Playing a third-person game in
split-screen mode is a little harder than playing a first-person game as the
already small view of the action gets a little obstructed by your character's
body. While Xbox Live subscribers can download new missions, online
deathmatch or campaign play is non-existent - and that's a real shame.
Overall Brute Force is a fun game that will be enjoyed by most action game fans
who enjoy a good shooter with plenty of shooting. Those who don't often
play action games may find it to be a bit difficult and frustrating as a result
of the size of some of the firefights and the third person perspective. If
you have friend with whom you can play the campaign game in cooperative mode
(especially if they have their own Xbox and a system link cable), then you
should give the game a try.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
84%. Lots of weapons for lots of
shooting for shooter fans who love to shoot.
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