When consumers pick up a videogame that has just come out for a price tag of twenty dollars, they’re naturally not going to expect the same type of rewarding experience they would be expecting from a game featuring a premium price point. Of course, there is a possibility that these budget priced videogames can offer a more rewarding experience than a title that will retail for a more costly price point, as we can see clearly from extremely enjoyable budget priced videogames such as Robotech Invasion and Outlaw Golf 2.
Combat: Task Force 121 is one of the newest budget priced videogames to become available for the Xbox from developer Direct Action Games and publisher Groove Games. The game is a military influenced first-person shooter that deals with the overdone
"Task Force 121’s multiplayer modes are a blast to play"
|
scenario of terrorism and doesn’t exactly offer the strongest single-player modes. However, it is the game’s online multiplayer modes that make Combat: Task Force 121 an enjoyable experience and easily worth the price of admission for videogame enthusiasts who love spending their time online in multiplayer match-ups.
In the game, players become part of a covert unit comprised of Navy Seals, Green Berets, Army Rangers and USMC Recon personnel tasked with thwarting a deadly group of rebels by putting a halt to their terrorist acts before U.S. interests are compromised... The single-player adventure in text may sound like something extremely epic, but when you get your hands on the game, it’s nothing of the sort, and it’s a shame. Terrorism is popular subject matter for videogames that easily entertains most gamers if pulled off well. Combat: Task Force 121 doesn’t do a good job at presenting the threat of terrorism at all, since cutscenes are non-existent in the game, and since each mission briefing fails to grab a player’s attention successfully. Although, there is no real reason to pay attention to these mission briefings anyway. Each of the game’s ten levels are pretty straightforward in design.
Many videogame developers believe that simplicity is key to creating a videogame that will appeal to a broad audience of gamers, and they are right. However, there are times when things appear to be a bit too simple for their own good and this unfortunately is the case with Combat: Task Force 121’s single-player game modes.
Task Force 121 is pretty straightforward and linear. The missions aren’t very demanding. They basically require players to make it from point A to point B, along the way killing any enemies that cross your path, and collecting keycards and other items needed to open locked doors that you’ll come across on the way. It’s definitely not the type of game that will keep players occupied with puzzles and memorizing level layouts. If there’s an unlocked door or ventilation shaft to crawl into, chances are that’s the right way to go.
What’s unfortunate is that the single-player adventure isn’t all too exciting or challenging. The enemy AI in the game doesn’t seem to be fairly intelligent. Enemies are often going to stand behind a wall or column of sorts, leaning the to the left or right in attempt to fire some rounds at you, easily giving you the opening to put a few bullets in their body. Also, they don’t really attack you in patterns that can really challenge experienced FPS players, because if you are to die once (which will most likely be the result of an emeny’s inhuman accuracy), it’s likely that it won’t happen again since not much will have changed in the scenario on the second attempt, as they do in most of the better action games available today.
Of course, I do have some complaints about some of the workings of the game. For instance, I find it awkward that I can be standing at point blank range behind a unsuspecting opponent in a multiplayer mode and fire a bullet straight into their head, and then find out that it sometimes takes another two shots to the head to kill them. Task Force 121 isn’t the most realistic of first-person shooters and perhaps it’s best that its not, because its multiplayer modes benefit from this characteristic.
When I first played Task Force 121 over Xbox Live, I was quite surprised by the amount of gamers playing the game online. It’s not too often that you find a budget-priced videogame for the Xbox with a fairly decent amount of gamers playing over Xbox Live. So, if that’s one of your concerns with this game, it should be noted that at the current time (just a two weeks after the game’s release) there are plenty of gamers playing
"the single-player adventure isn’t all too exciting or challenging"
|
Combat: Task Force 121 on Xbox Live. Additionally, I haven’t encountered any serious lag, not even with sixteen players on a single map -- I’m sure some of you guys are happy to hear about that as well.
As for the multiplayer gameplay modes, they’re nothing out of the ordinary for an online FPS. You have Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and match types of the like. Of course, if the game isn’t offering anything too unique, then Task Force 121 may not be too appealing when other games offer the same and more.
The multiplayer stages in Task Force 121 are monstrous in size, and complicated in that good way which more experienced players who know the levels well will have a blast playing the game. The game’s pacing is also very fast paced, and I commend this characteristic because the chaos created due to its fast pacing is almost always welcomed in games of this nature. It just happens to make things more interesting. In addition, the character types available add an extra layer to the multiplayer game that players are sure to appreciate, as well. Each weapons type has his own specific weapons set that can be used to an experienced players advantage. If you want, you can choose to be a close quarters type of guy and blast away enemies with a shotgun, or you can choose to be a demolition man and blow things up by planting trip wires to catch unsuspecting fools running through narrow corridors or caves.
As you can tell, hopefully, Task Force 121’s multiplayer modes are a blast to play. I’ve heard some players over Xbox Live call it a "sleeper hit" because of this reason alone. Is that statement true? It could be, but only time will be able to answer that question. Although, I do have one specific issue with the multiplayer game and that has to do with respawning in the game. If there is anything I would suggest, it would be to always make sure to play in a Team Deathmatch or any type of Team-based multiplayer mode, because the game has a habit of respawning players in the heat of battle where there are more enemies surrounding you than you could ever possibly desire. That, my friends, is a terrible scenario to find one’s self in, because you’re pretty much dead from the moment you enter that game.
Task Force 121 had been developed using the Unreal Engine 2 and it’s been used very well to create an incredibly smooth and clean-looking FPS experience for the Xbox. In all honesty, I was quite impressed by how smooth the game flows. Because of that, its controls feel extremely comfortable and it becomes very easy to get into the game’s single-player and multiplayer modes.
The game’s visuals aren’t all too impressive, but thanks to thanks to the smoothness of the game, I can’t really complain much. Yes, the character models and
"straightforward and linear"
|
environments look a bit primitive at times, but the game has a very clean look that’s easy on the eyes and made even better by a frame rate that holds up at even the most scenarios in the game. Also, I’m quite fond of the weapon animations and the overall look of the weapons.
As for the sound department, the game doesn’t perform too great in this area either. There isn’t much use of music in the game and that’s a shame because when a game is silent, things can tend to feel even more boring than they do otherwise. Although, the game’s sound effects are pretty decent. The sound of a gunshot, or crack of a shotgun all sound pretty authentic to my ears.
When it’s all said and done, Combat: Task Force 121 can be an extremely enjoyable first-person shooter for those looking to take the game online. It’s single-player experience is lackluster, to say the least, and not worth the twenty dollar price of admission, although the online multiplayer sure as hell is for those interested.
