Not surprisingly, the game goes for a more realistic approach to combat. If you don’t stick to Army doctrine and your training, then you’ll quickly end up dead. Also, not only does your skill have an affect on your success, but your squad’s morale does as well. Green soldiers under duress will not do as well as veterans who keep their cool. However, in spite of these realistic tendencies the game does provide some hand-holding which to me detracted from the overall realistic feel of the game. First of all the game lets you know exactly where you should be positioned at each moment in the battle by marking the ground with a star icon. I would have preferred if the game relied on me to find the best position to help my squad rather than always telling me to “go there and stand here”. Also, enemy soldiers are too easy to track because the game places red dots over their heads as soon as you “observe” them. The game will even guide your weapon to their general position, although thankfully it is still up to you to aim your shots.

You and your fire team.

The missions that come with the game provide a wide range of objectives and situations. There is also a certain degree of replayability to the missions thanks to the skill system, even though the missions are pretty linear and will play out in the same way each time. The game’s real replay factor comes from its support for games of up to 16 players on Xbox Live. Online play also has a skill system that allows your online persona to progress in abilities, but this system is entirely separate from the single player campaign’s. Players with more experience will be assigned the specialist roles, while those just starting out will find themselves relegated to rifleman duties. If you played the PC version online, then you’ll be surprised to find that the game does not make each side appear to themselves as the US Army – in Rise of a Soldier you can actually play as the enemy. Gameplay is objective-based, with one team defending a key location from the other. Death is a permanent state in these games as there is no respawning, so many games end with the elimination of one of the teams.

Rise of a Soldier’s emphasis on realism doesn’t quite extend to the graphics as the game has the look of an older title with Spartan environments and basic textures and details. This is a little easier to look past than the game’s complete lack of lip-synching. It’s just plain odd to listen to a character speak to you and move his arms around while his mouth stays shut tight.

Rise of a Soldier will not appeal to everyone, but if you enjoy realistic shooters and would like a look into the life of an American soldier it is definitely worth your time.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 80%.  Fans of realistic shooters will enjoy their tour of duty with America’s Army.

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