The storyline in Frontlines: Fuel of War has a modern feel to it, as though this could be happening today but for some reason it’s happening in the year 2024. When reading the back-story in the manual, the developers at Kaos Studios did some foreshadowing, claiming the problems all started in 2008 with a recession and oil at $100 a barrel. If this story is followed, in 2012, we’ll all be foregoing automobiles….okay so maybe it’s not totally accurate, but it’s an interesting story about oil.
The single player campaign is comprised of eight chapters, with each chapter having 2-5 different missions ala Call of Duty. You can also unlock additional single player maps in the ‘extras’ section of the game with various codes. The maps themselves are pretty big and the level design is well done. There are drawbacks to the single player game -- it’s over very quickly for starters, easily completed in an afternoon. Second, control could be better; when you control a drone vehicle it’s difficult to drive exactly where you want it to go – of course it could be due to the ‘signal’ you’re sending the vehicle, but the control is sluggish. There is no enemy lock, although your crosshair does turn red when an enemy is around. The enemies move around and take cover in response to your gunfire; however the shooting can be an exercise in frustration. There isn’t any ‘fine tuning’ on your aiming so a flick of the right stick to the left or right can move your aiming significantly and result in a missed shot. You can ‘zoom’ in using a scope but the same control issue applies.
At first look, you’ll be very pleased with the graphics – frame-rates aren’t a problem and the explosions look great. However on a second look you’ll see some Xbox 1-like draw in. You’ll be walking outside and see a mountain – but as you approach the mountain you’ll magically see it with textures – this draw in is rather annoying as items ‘pop in” as you walk forward. It’s almost as if you’re playing an online game with lag.
With the single player being so brief, there’s no doubt that the game was designed for multiplayer from the get go. While the console version can support 32+ players, the PC version was designed for up to 64, which can make for some very fun games if you can find 32-64 sane people. Just like in Battlefield, the game is designed for teams of people to fight – so man the helicopter or the tank. Weapon layouts are designed to stick to a specific role such as infantry shooter or sniper which makes selecting a loadout easy.
The maps are huge and the game plays very wide open, with plenty of places for cover. One comment is that where oil is such a precious resource, you would think it might play a factor in the vehicles for the game, but it doesn’t. Drive your tank around as you wish! It wouldn’t seem out of the question to perhaps have a fuel gauge in these vehicles if oil is indeed and is so tough to come by.
Overall, Frontlines has been one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had this year – particularly online. It’s too bad about the control, graphical draw in and short length of the single player game but the multiplayer portion saves it from the bargain bin of doom.
