My Opinion and Observations
Okay, anyone could download the press release or visit the Steel Fury web site for the above information, but how does it play? Is it any good? Is it another action game pretending to be a simulation because it has a real looking gun sight? That’s the information you guys want, right?
Well Lighthouse Interactive sent me a press release copy of the game. It includes everything but the editor. It is still a work-in-progress, and a lot of tuning, bug squashing, and localization still needs to be implemented, but it installed well and runs well. I did have to turn off AA in my graphic card settings due to graphic tears with it on. Hopefully this will be addressed, because as you can see “jaggies” are present and make a great shot look terrible.
The best way to sum up my first impressions based on this press release copy I received, I can’t stop playing it! This is one of the most intense WW2 tank games I’ve ever played. It isn’t easy; it’s truly more for the simulation crowd, not the action crowd. But every time I play a mission and take screenshots or videos for this article, I exit and fight the urge to share the information and screens in the forums with you right here, right now. Then I can’t wait to get back into the next mission. Truly some fantastic work done here. If this is just a pre-release version, a beta, then I can’t wait for the final game.
Graphics and sounds are just absolutely incredible for this game. The landscape looks like it was made for war. Hills and forest, rivers and town, trees, power lines, fences, and fighting positions. All incredible looking. The vehicles, the tanks, the armored cars, all very well modeled and displayed. Inside and out. The infantry units are just a little off in size and shape, but definitely playable and add to the immersion of the battle. The explosions and hits and misses are well modeled, not overly done like an action game usually is, more realistic in my opinion, meaning (from what I’ve seen on the history channel, videos, and books) they hit, there’s an explosion of correct size, then some smoking or burning, depending on hit. But a tank could be dead without the extreme glow of fire. Meaning, the effects are more simulation then action. The terrain is deformable; miss an enemy tank the round hits nearby and creates a crater. A tree or power line in your line of sight? Take it down with one of 5 types of main tank rounds, or your machine gun. Buildings blow up or crumble, fences and trees fall from artillery strikes, air strikes, or ground fire. Weather effects are there, I’ve seen heavy fog, light fog, overcast skies, (but no rain yet, more time with game is needed.)
