Publisher: Encore
Ages: teens & up
Parental
Advisory:
war action
Encore's Silent Storm offers challenging and rather innovative turn-based tactical combat and role-playing that's set in World War II. It's an entertaining title that is addicting, and its strengths include solid strategic elements, challenging computer-controlled forces and realistic physics and destructible environments.
Gamers play on the side of the Axis or Allied forces, select their squad and customize characters from some 40 male or female operatives. Each squad member may be created from a variety of nationalities, and possess a unique personality, background and in-game dialog. The rich character development system serves nine preset skills for each character, and some 50 skills that may be developed throughout the course of the game. And gamers may lose squad members as they march towards objectives.
The game features some 75 WWII-era weapons, a campaign that has 24 non-linear daytime and night missions and randomly generated encounters of varying styles and difficulty. Players are free to approach missions by using brute force, stealth or any tactic that they wish.
The game's well done and intuitive turn-based battle system offers lots of control over characters. Characters may perform a wide range of action. Beyond running and shooting, they can jump over objects and more. On the downside, the computer's turns can take a long time. But the waits are well worth the strong challenge that the game presents. The computer-controlled forces are no push-over.
Players can use the 3D environments to their tactical advantage. The areas are destructible and gamers can destroy buildings and structures, and even take out the lower portion of an enemy building and watch the upper stories collapse on foes. The game also considers bullet tracing, realistic weapon trajectories, as well as speed and piercing performance for bullets, grenades and rockets.
The game lacks multi-player capabilities, but serve two great campaigns, one for the Allies and the other for the Axis. And there's an editor to create more. The graphics are detailed and impressive. As a war game, the title features high body counts and considerable blood.
On the surface, Silent Storm may look like yet another strategy game set that's in World War II. But it manages to cover new ground and offer a distinctly different experience. Those who love strategy will enjoy this one.
2/2/04 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff
