Developer(s) – Kaos Studios & nFusion Interactive
Publisher(s) – THQ
PEGI – 16
Frontlines: Fuel of War is a first-person shooter, which plays out very much in the same vein as Battlefield, Medal of Honour, etc. Only with this title, the most interesting thing to talk about is its development history. The game was originally planned to be released for both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. But the PS3 version was canceled due to problems the developers were having with the console’s hardware. In my opinion, it’s no big loss.
Graphics – 2/10
Aside from having about as interesting a conceptual design as a breadstick, it’s particularly hard for me to imagine why the developers would have had trouble porting it to the PlayStation 3. Since it looks primitive in comparison with many other games released for either system at that time. It was made to look especially bad after Fallout 3 was released 8 months after. And despite issues, was released by Bethesda on PlayStation 3.
Gameplay – 1/10
As a standard and non-standout FPS, the game incorporates about the same things as any other game of its kind. But to an even worse level of quality. All it involves is what I alluded to earlier. Kill, capture a position, pines, and repeat. There are no side quests, no legitimate incentives, and no replay value at all. Adding to the collection of my least favorite video games of the seventh generation.
Controls – 7/10
Even compared with other first-person shooters, the controls are fractionally harder to get to grips with, since the buttons are mapped out differently, and there is no proper way of precisions aiming outside zooming in, unlike almost every single entry in the Call of Duty series. Otherwise, however, there aren’t any other major issues to concern, and to me, that’s about the only positive I can deduce from this title.
Lifespan – 5/10
Lasting about as long as the average army-based FPS, it clocks in at about 6 to 7 hours, but in all honesty, I’d be amazed to hear about anyone having the inclination to make it past one hour. Once more, and I said, there are no additional features or quests outside the main campaign, thus, a game like this to last any longer than it does is largely unwarranted.
Storyline – 0.5/10
Basically, an army goes off to fight another army over territory and resources. In all honesty, it’d be quicker and more interesting to read a newspaper.
Originality – 0/10
Unfortunately, this game would not be the last of its kind to be released throughout mainstream gaming, but it was by no means the first either.
Furiious
In summation, the only saving grace Frontlines: Fuel of War has is that it has fallen deep into obscurity, and is not coming back from it. I apologize to my readers that this review is as half-hearted as it is, but in my opinion, it is fitting of the game itself.