Once I performed and reviewed the earlier Strategic Thoughts sport to floor on the Xbox, Strategic Thoughts: The Pacific, I wasn’t massively enamoured of it. However by no means ones to let a dissenting voice sway their launch schedule, the following sport within the sequence has limped onto the large black Microsoft field, from builders Starni Video games and the Klabater publishing crew.
The massive query we have now to ask ourselves although is whether or not this new instalment, Strategic Thoughts: Struggle for Freedom, is any higher than the final one, or whether or not it’s a case of latest theatre of warfare, standard gameplay?
Trying on the story of the sport first and there are two views attainable in Struggle for Freedom, relying on who you select to aspect with firstly of the sport. You’ve the selection of being the British, with the motion happening originally of the warfare, with Hitler rolling into Poland, or you may select to be the Individuals; the motion of their marketing campaign takes place in direction of the tip of the warfare.
Whichever you select, there aren’t many surprises to be trustworthy, as everyone knows how the story of the Second World Conflict ends, however not less than with the American marketing campaign, there’s a little little bit of a “What if…?” state of affairs on the finish, with imagined battles between the USA and the USSR. Aside from these flights of fancy, the motion is rooted in historic reality, and so the story is fairly set in stone.
Now, the presentation and, frankly, there isn’t any variety option to say this, however the best way that the voice overs play out in Strategic Thoughts: Struggle for Freedom is virtually felony. I haven’t heard such dodgy voice overs for the reason that unique Resident Evil on the PlayStation, with the well-known “You, the grasp of unlocking” and “Hope this isn’t… Chris’ blood!” strains sounding like a manufacturing from the Royal Shakespeare Firm in contrast to what’s on supply right here. The British generals sound like they’re from Hungary, the Individuals presumably from Mars, and the lip syncing for the minimize scenes is even worse.
The sound is unhealthy, there isn’t any doubt, however once we come to the best way the sport appears to be like, it manages to worsen. Typically, the motion is seen from a distant perspective, on a hexagon coated battlefield, and right here the motion isn’t too unhealthy. Nevertheless, once in a while, the motion will zoom in in your unit because it performs no matter motion you’ve chosen, after which issues worsen. For one factor, why is my tank the dimensions of a city? And why does the digicam dive into the panorama and refuse to come back out till one other unit has been chosen utilizing the shortcuts on the backside of the display? Apart from that, the graphics are serviceable at greatest, but not a patch on Command & Conquer from twenty 5 years in the past, thoughts.
Sure, the presentation of Struggle for Freedom is woeful, however we are able to overlook this if the motion is engrossing, proper? Nicely, maintain on to that thought, as a result of there are points right here too. Initially is the entire lack of any sort of indication about methods to carry out fundamental actions. In most video games, you choose a unit with A, then select what to do with mentioned unit, be it transferring or attacking. You’d then press A once more to substantiate, sure? Nicely, not right here. I sat there for a great 5 minutes, urgent each button on my Xbox controller till I lastly stumbled throughout the right mixture of buttons to make issues occur. So that you don’t have to fret, right here is my high tip – choose the unit with A, as you’d anticipate, then use the Y button to make the unit carry out its motion.
That works initially, however then the second mission for the British is even worse, as it is advisable to “Deploy a headquarters unit”, by which it means an plane provider. I can’t for the lifetime of me work out which is the “deploy” button, and so the British marketing campaign very a lot stalled. Fortunately the American one is a little more simple. Not a lot, only a bit.
Coming from a PC background, as Strategic Thoughts: Struggle for Freedom clearly does, you’d hope that the builders would have executed an honest job of translating a keyboard and mouse onto a controller map, wouldn’t you? Nicely, loosen up, as a result of they haven’t. Shifting the items round with the left stick is just not too unhealthy, as a result of the hexagons are fairly giant, however making an attempt to get your items to truly assault the enemy is an train in frustration, as in the event you aren’t on precisely the fitting pixel, the unit will simply transfer as much as the enemy and get shot to items. Attempting to get an plane to shoot one other one? Good luck!
Now, it’s possible you’ll really feel that I’ve a little bit of a downer on Struggle for Freedom, and that’s for an excellent cause – it’s a huge disappointment. I really like a technique sport, having performed many, from the easy reminiscent of Advance Wars, to all of the Command & Conquers and so forth and so forth. I really like the thought of making an attempt to recreate a World Conflict 2 setting, and I actually like the thought of reimagining among the battles from that period. I simply want that somebody with some thought about methods to make a sport work on the Xbox had taken this on.
I’m certain that on PC, Strategic Thoughts: Struggle for Freedom might nicely be a fantastic sport, however it simply doesn’t work on the Xbox, and that may be a massive drawback. I truthfully thought it could be not possible to make a poorer sport than Strategic Thoughts: The Pacific, however sadly plainly it’s attainable.
Do your self a favour, and discover one thing else to play apart from Strategic Thoughts: Struggle for Freedom. It’s really unhealthy, and really, really disappointing.
Strategic Thoughts: Struggle for Freedom is on the Xbox Retailer
Once I performed and reviewed the earlier Strategic Thoughts sport to floor on the Xbox, Strategic Thoughts: The Pacific, I wasn’t massively enamoured of it. However by no means ones to let a dissenting voice sway their launch schedule, the following sport within the sequence has limped onto the large black Microsoft field, from builders Starni Video games and the Klabater publishing crew. The massive query we have now to ask ourselves although is whether or not this new instalment, Strategic Thoughts: Struggle for Freedom, is any higher than the final one, or whether or not it’s a case of latest theatre of warfare, standard gameplay? …
Strategic Thoughts: Struggle for Freedom Overview
Strategic Thoughts: Struggle for Freedom Overview
2023-01-09
Paul Renshaw
Execs:
Cons:
- … poorly executed
- Terrible sound and graphics
- Poor controller integration
- Simply so troublesome to get on with that it isn’t definitely worth the effort
Information:
- Large thanks for the free copy of the sport go to – Klabater
- Codecs – Xbox Collection X|S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5
- Model reviewed – Xbox One on Xbox Collection X
- Launch date – 22 September 2022
- Launch worth from – £24.99
TXH Rating
1/5
Execs:
Cons:
- … poorly executed
- Terrible sound and graphics
- Poor controller integration
- Simply so troublesome to get on with that it isn’t definitely worth the effort
Information:
- Large thanks for the free copy of the sport go to – Klabater
- Codecs – Xbox Collection X|S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5
- Model reviewed – Xbox One on Xbox Collection X
- Launch date – 22 September 2022
- Launch worth from – £24.99