Iron Storm Review

Iron Storm certainly has a novel background story.  The game is set in 1964 in a world in which World War I never ended.  Europe is still crossed with trench lines, but weapon technology has progressed during the fifty years of war.  Helicopters fly across the battlefield and soldiers carry automatic sub machineguns and rocket launchers.  The combatants have also changed somewhat, and now the United States of Western Europe is fighting a new German-Russian empire led by a brutal dictator.  You take on the role of Lieutenant Anderson, an elite soldier sent on a dangerous solo mission that will require you to cross no-man’s land, infiltrate the enemy’s trench network, and go deep behind enemy lines to sabotage a new secret weapons factory.  An interesting premise, although one which raises a few questions such as why are trenches still in use in an era of helicopter gunships, or why did the enemy build their new factory within a walkable distance of the frontlines when they command the vast hinterlands of Russia?  In a world of endless World War II and science fiction shooters it’s nice to see a game in an original setting, and so we won’t overanalyze the holes in the story.

The game opens in the USWE’s trenches where you will receive your orders for the mission.  You’ll then need to make your way to the front of the trench network and into no man’s land. A long the way, you’ll see a convincing rendition of a working trench network such as cooks working in a kitchen, soldiers sleeping in their quarters, and nurses tending to the wounded in an infirmary.  There are also a few data terminals that can be used to watch news telecasts covering the war.  This all does a good job of creating atmosphere and establishing the setting for the game’s storyline.

Once you leave the relative safety of the trenches, the game really kicks into high gear.  Helicopter gunships circle overhead while artillery barrages pound the ground around you, shaking the ground with each impact and sending clods of earth (and the occasional body part) flying around you.  You’ll need to take out a few snipers that are keeping your men pinned down, take out the enemy soldiers between you and the enemy trenches, and fight your way into the trenches themselves.  There’s some tense and exciting gameplay to be found in this opening level.

Unfortunately, this is the high point of the game.  Soon thereafter the levels lose the momentum generated by the opening sequence, and the game’s flaws become far too evident.  The first problem is that the enemy AI is terrible (except for the enemy snipers, but more on them later).  Enemies like to charge you until they take a few hits, at which point they turn and run away.  The game's box claims that the AI is advanced and will use cover and squad techniques, but in reality enemies seem to run around at random.  If there are multiple enemy soldiers, they will keep coming around a corner even though their comrades are dying right in front of them.  Furthermore, they don’t seem to see walls, or even to understand the concept of walls.  Enemies will open fire on you before you’ve even reached a corner, trying to shoot straight though the wall.  Sometimes, the AI does things that can only be described as bizarre.  When in the enemy trenches I witnessed two enemy soldiers trying to shoot each other through two walls forming a corner.  I walked around the corner and shot one of the soldiers and then returned to the first. He had stopped shooting, but was still staring at the wall. I just walked right up to him and shot him.

Enemy snipers are an entirely different matter.  There are a lot of them in the game, and they have an unnatural ability to kill you with one shot.  Even though you may know that there is a sniper ahead, you’ll have a very hard time locating him.  He’ll have no trouble seeing you though, no matter what approach you take, and killing you with one shot.  Be prepared for a lot of save/reloads – only luck and trial and error will get you past each sniper.  The snipers are an artificial way to increase the game’s difficulty level, but the player loses out when that difficulty is gained through frustration.

The game features some puzzles, but their presentation is inconsistent.   Like the sniper element, trial and error is required to solve them rather than brainpower.  In one case mines are used to destroy a tank, while in the next the mines have no effect on another tank.  At another point in the game you need to drop all your weapons and surrender to the enemy.  How are players supposed to figure that one out any other way than blind luck?

In the graphics department, the game's outdoor environments look interesting although the palette used is heavy on shades of tan.  Indoor graphics don't fare as well as the outdoor levels.  The textures used for interiors are on the blurry side.  The game falls far short when it comes to character animations, as movement is clunky and unnatural.  When enemies are shot, they seem to all have the same death animation which involves the enemy stiffening like a board and falling straight down.  At least explosions result in more animated deaths which literally tear the limbs from the unfortunate victims.

Another point of disappointment is that the weapons are rather generic.  It really doesn't make that much of a difference as to which weapon you use.  After fifty years of warfare you'd think that the military would be able to come up with something more interesting than shoguns, sub machine guns, and sniper rifles.

The game really starts on a strong note, and will have you hooked at the beginning.  However, the terrible AI and the trial and error gameplay will quickly sap your enthusiasm for the game.  The game’s later levels can’t match the excitement of the first and are ultimately disappointing.  Perhaps if the game just kept you in no man’s land, leading a squad in a series of assaults while facing artillery barrages and attack choppers, the game might have been recommendable.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 55%.  An interesting premise, but dismal AI and frustrating trial and error gameplay ultimately weigh this title down.

System Requirements:  Pentium III 500;  128 MB RAM;  32 MB Video RAM; 8x CD-ROM;  700 MB Hard Drive Space;  Mouse.