10/27/2006 12:38:23 AM
Field Commander PSP ReviewBy Mark Diller
The march of progress -- you can’t stop it. Pretty much anything that can contain a microchip already does, even things like refrigerators and ovens that could do perfectly well without. The gaming industry marches forward even more quickly, and if you like a game today there’s an excellent chance that you won’t be playing it tomorrow, because newer, flashier, and more technically advanced alternatives have come along in the meantime. But it’s not like games are only now getting fun; we’ve been playing and enjoying them pretty much the whole time. So what happens to those old game styles: board games and the like that involved turns and the slow unfolding of intricate strategies, rather than the twitch-inducing adrenaline rushes that too many games today are based on? Sometimes they die out (when was the last time you played Parcheesi?), but sometimes -- as with “Field Commander” the old becomes new again.
When playing “Field Commander,” many will be reminded of old strategy board games: those games that come in big, thick boxes full of cardboard pieces that move across a field divided into hexagons in accordance with a rulebook about six inches thick. Myself, I was reminded of one of the first computer games I bought in college, right after I brought home my first PC. It was a turn-based strategy game that involved a battle between two nations spread out over a series of islands. I can’t remember many of the games I was playing last year, but I remember this one well: sending submarines out to swarm and sink the opposing fleet, building bombers and holding them in reserve until I had control of the air, and that feeling of dread when a horde of enemy units appeared out of the fog of war, on their way to kicking my ass. “Field Commander” has better graphics, and generally better gameplay than that old title, but it’s very much in the same spirit.
When you play, you’ll find yourself in charge of a force that could be composed of infantry, tanks, anti-aircraft guns, helicopters, ships, submarines -- you name it. The map is also dotted with cities and factories; factories produce units -- for a certain cost -- and cities produce the money you’ll need to build units. Each unit can move during every turn, but only once. Most units have to move adjacent to an enemy unit in order to fire on it, so a lot of the game gets down to positioning. Timing is also critical, since you don’t want a unit advancing, firing, failing to take out the opposing unit, and then be all alone out there during the enemy’s turn. There’s enough going on, and enough ways to get in trouble, that you’ll find yourself pondering the map before each turn, figuring out how to use your units as a coordinated force.
Strategy fans out there are probably licking their chops, and yes -- this is the best, purest form of a strategy game that I’ve seen on the PSP so far, and with 30 levels to work through you’ve got plenty of depth. The game is designed to move at a slow, deliberate pace, the pace at which games used to move, back in the day when you had as long as you wanted to ponder your position and decide your plan of attack. Nowadays everything seemingly has to be “real-time,” and games like “Field Commander” are a welcome change of pace. If slow isn’t slow enough for you, there’s even a multiplayer mode where you can send one move at a time to your opponent, as if playing an old-school play-by-mail game. That, added to an already robust multiplayer mode (via infrastructure or ad-hoc) gives you a game with many, many levels to explore.
It’s not without its flaws, however. As you learn the game you’ll be advised by a series of characters that are as annoying as they are two dimensional; I particularly liked that the General’s codename is “General.” This isn’t a game based on a deep and interesting story; there’s some nonsense about an international terrorist organization, but “Field Commander” isn’t going to make you forget Tom Clancy. There also are some interface issues, which make it harder than it should be to see how much damage a unit has taken (and how much more damage it can take before being destroyed). The AI often doesn’t put up much of a fight, which might boost your ego but won’t make for a very satisfying experience in the long run. If nothing else, that will send you scrambling to the multiplayer mode, in search of an opponent who will put up a fight.
Still, if turn-based strategy is your thing (and if you’re jonesing for some “Advance Wars” but don’t have a GBA or DS), “Field Commander” is the best thing going on the PSP. So if you’re the type to fantasize about being a modern Rommel or MacArthur, buy the game, slap the disk in your handheld, and send your forces into battle.
Ratings (1-10):
Graphics: 7. No one can honestly call this game “beautiful,” but it gets the job done.
Sound: 8. Solid effects and decent voice work, marred by some poor writing..
Gameplay: 9. Think “Advance Wars” on a PSP, and you won’t be far wrong.
Story: 6. If you’re like me, you’ll just hit the O button to skip over the dialog portions.
Replayability: 10. With 30 levels and a well-realized multiplayer experience, you may never get sick of this game.
Overall: 8.5. “Field Commander” is a welcome fix for PSP owning strategy junkies.
Field Commander PSP Review
