The Sum of all Fears: Web Wombat: Games

Arghhh -- it’s another tactical shooter! The pain, the agony! Can’t game developers just leave it well enough alone - does the world really need more tactical squad games?

OK, maybe it does, so on with the review...

In the grand, if somewhat cliched, tradition of onscreen Clancy-esque paramilitarism, SOAF is a "...terrorists have taken over the world and it’s your job to eliminate them, soldier!" kind of thing.

Unfortunately, SOAF has almost nothing to do with either the book or the movie, apart from having Morgan Freeman and Ben Affleck on the promotional posters.

If you read the blurb on the back of the box, it promises “An intense storyline that parallels the novel and film of the same name.” Well, sorry to disappoint you, but no dice.

The storyline is almost non-existent, with you part of a new counter-terrorist unit, a la Rainbow Six, having to clean up various terrorist operations around the world. So those of you who wanted to play American bad-boy CIA operative Jack Ryan will feel a bit cheated. I wonder, did the PR team for Red Storm actually read the storyline before they designed the box?

SOAF utilises the Ghost Recon engine, rather than the older and not-as-pretty Rainbow Six engine. Even so, the main disadvantage of the GR engine is that you can’t plan anything in advance and have to command your squad on the hoof.

An advantage that balances the planning issues of the GR engine is that the graphics look pretty good and, while maybe not to Doom 3's standard, with textures slightly over-stretched for their resolution and some clipping issues, it is still quite pretty, nonetheless.

Surprisingly, SOAF runs better than Ghost Recon ever did, though that probably has more to do with the significantly smaller (read “semi-claustrophobic”) indoor environments of SOAF than any actual optimisation on Red Storm’s part.

We do this by the numbers... Nobody touch nothing!

For instance, the engine seems to have some sort of problem with dynamic lighting, with objects (mostly terrorists and squad members) sometimes appearing to be permanently cloaked in shadow (Ed - cool!).

The interface is practically identical to that of Rogue Spear, with some light cosmetic alteration to reflect the SOAF golden-orange colour scheme. Apart from the Campaign, there are the Ghost Recon quick mission types: Lone Wolf, Firefight and Mission.

The game itself is, surprisingly, aimed at newbies to the tac-shooter genre or others who found the previous Rainbow Six games too hard or too complex. To achieve this, Red Storm has incorporated new features, such as a white line on the mini-map, showing the most efficient way through the level.

If a planning stage existed in SOAF, then 9 times out of 10, this would be the route you would choose. The other 1 time, the route chosen by the computer is a bloody slog through hordes of sweaty terrorists waiting in ambush behind the dining table, while snipers stand ready to rain shiny 7.62mm death from above (from the 2nd floor balcony, actually).

Other simplification features are mostly implemented in the “Easy” difficulty setting, in which the AI is toned down to be less accurate and respond more slowly to environmental stimuli (sound, sight etc).

Also, the map acts like the heartbeat sensor is always turned on, so you always know the placement of enemies everywhere in the level - a godsend for beginners who don’t like to be surprised.

Speaking of AI… SOAF’s enemy intelligence, while not exactly amazing, is definitely above average. On the higher difficulty settings, terrorists respond to breaking glass and things of that nature quite quickly, though they have habit of attempting to shoot you/your teammates through walls, even though they obviously can’t see or hit you.

This glitch also affects your squad mates, although to a lesser extent. On the “Hard” and particularly on the “Special Forces” difficulty levels, the enemy becomes almost depressingly accurate and can hear a pin drop from 300 metres.

On occasion, I’ve seen an opponent take a full load of buckshot point-blank in the groin and proceed to ventilate a member of my squad with amazing accuracy for someone who would never celebrate Father’s Day again, although I believe this was thanks to the somewhat shoddy close-range collision detection of the Ghost Recon engine. Still funny though....

"Concentrate your fire!!"

One of the more major gripes I have with SOAF is that it doesn’t let you choose your weaponry, beyond choosing a “package”. For instance, the “Stealth” package gives you a 9mm silenced sub-machine gun and pistol, while the “Full Assault” pacakge gives you an automatic shotgun/M4A1, as well as frag grenades.

No description, no pictures, no nothing, just a couple of words on your screen. As you complete the game and finish the secondary objectives, more packages become available. I guess it’s a good reason to complete the game.

However, SOAF’s armory pales in comparison to the ultra-detailed weapon choice screen of Rogue Spear/Rainbow Six. Heck, the armory isn’t even complete, at least, not from my point of view.

Steyr Aug, where art thou? Gathering dust beside the Belgian Army pistol and Dragunov sniper rifle I’m sure...

Incidentally, SOAF comes with it’s own SDK, so map-making etc. is apparently a snap, however it remains to be seen as to whether or not the Internet community takes to SOAF as a viable platform for modding.

SOAF comes with fully functional multiplayer, allowing for the typical “Terrorists vs. Counter-Terrorists” matches and all out fragfests, plus a few variations on the theme. The Ubi.com performance is quite acceptable, despite the fact that the nearest server is in Hong Kong.

Even with a significant amount of lag, SOAF plays well. Unfortunately, there only about 150 players on the server at any given time, which means playing in half empty maps most of the time. As any pretender to the Counterstrike throne will tell you, a critical mass of players is essential to online success.

So, in conclusion, there are many good points about SOAF: Good AI, decent engine, newbie friendly interface and modding tool kit. But for all its good points, I can’t award Sum of all Fears top marks. For anything... Sad but true.

However, at $AUS49.95 ($US29.99), it’s a relatively inexpensive solution for those looking for a tactical fix, without the added complexity/tech requirements of Ghost Recon. For newcomers, SOAF is recommended. For experienced gamers… It’ll give you some new maps to play with while you wait for the next Clancy blockbuster - Splinter Cell.

Game: The Sum of all Fears
System: PC
Players: 1-multi
Online: Yes
Developer: Red Storm
Distributor: Ubisoft

Rating: 80%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)

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