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Reviewer:
Quercus
Review Date: 14/07/2004
Score: 80%
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This
is a first impressions review of this game.
Some
of the reviews online have said "this is what Battlefield
Vietnam wanted to be" or "should be called Battlefield
2004". In a way I can see what they mean. Joint Ops.
uses a modified version of the Black Hawk Down engine but
modified for larger maps and vehicle use.
For a BF player it is a bit difficult to get used to because
the interface is so different, but it is worth making the
effort. I like BFV and enjoy some of the teamplay elements
of it, but I have to admit that it pales against Joint Ops.
Joint
Ops is a strange hybrid of "action" games like Battlefield
and tactical squad games like BHD, Operation Flashpoint and
Ghost Recon. With elements from all of those games it demands
slightly more care than Battlefield (respect the bullet),
but works well despite it.
Joint
Ops boasts huge maps capable of supporting up to 100 players,
squad level management, assorted nationalities / skins, nice
Iron sights and realistic weapon damage, vehicles that are
fun to drive or fly madly across the large maps, a number
of useful classes each with customisable loadouts (so you
can choose what equipment to take which affects how encumbered
you are and therefore how fast you move) and an innovative
points scoring systems that awards points for assists, transporting
people to objectives, providing supporting fire or medical
aid to team mates.
The game does have flaws - the night vision is pants, there
doesn't seem to be a decent admin program and it can be frustrating
for new players (especially those coming in from BF) because
you often cannot see the people shooting you and it is very
easy to get killed.
Also having to use Novaworld for online gaming is a bit of
a pain.
However,
as a team game it is great fun if you can gather a few friends
and create a fire team. The graphics are better than BFV (although
not quite up to Far Cry standards) and the vehicle physics
have been kept very simple to ensure everyone can easily use
them to support team mates. Indeed firefights are very realistic
- confusing and frantic, with the constant crack of gunshots
around you and the occasional screams of people calling for
medics. This is because unless you are killed by a headshot,
you can be "revived" by a medic where you fell.
Medics incidentally cannot heal themselves, so having two
in a fireteam is a good idea to make your group more effective.
This
is where the game shines, it goes one step further than BFV
(which itself went one step further than BF1942) in requiring
teamwork to get anywhere. Any would-be rambos should look
elsewhere for their kicks, because they won't last long in
this game.
Although this takes a bit of time getting used to, with voice
comms and a group of friends you will get a lot out of this.
Battlefield 2 may prove the superior game when it appears
next year, but at the moment nothing else really comes close.
