World War 2: Frontline Command Review

There is no question that games like Battlefield 1942, Return to Castle Wolfenstein and the like have rekindled a love for computer games based on one of the world's largest conflicts, but the question stands - have World War II games reached the pinnacle of their popularity? These days, popular game genres are abused to death with games from the WWII era. Sure, there are FPS games abound, but there are also a host of strategy games, too. One such studio that does not believe that WWII has been explored enough is Bitmap Brothers - and their latest RTS offering World War 2: Frontline Command is another foray into the storied Second World War.

World War II Frontline Command is an action strategy title set within the era of World War II (obviously - Six). The game opens with the player dropping paratroopers into Europe to disrupt the entrenched Axis forces ahead of the main invasion forces set to land on D-Day. Players must take command of their forces and turn the tide of Axis aggression while conquering Fortress Europe, using infantry, vehicles and weaponry.

First the good stuff, Frontline Command offers a fully 3D engine, with true 3D Line Of Sight systems, seasonal lighting and environmental effects, landscape scarring and multiple stage deformation for all units and buildings. The true 3D Line of Sight means that elevated surfaces and larger objects will actually block your view. Not to mention that the fog of war truly acts like a fog in the game. Pretty novel use of 3D technology, I must say. There are 25 single-player missions in total that can be played either as a 12-mission "Recruit" campaign or a 20-mission, non-linear "Veteran" campaign. Add to that the multiplayer option, and strategy fans should get some decent play time out of Frontline Command.

The maps look gritty and war-torn, and it will be quite easy to immerse yourself into the fairly realistic ambiance of French villages with authentic vehicles of the period. FC is not the best-looking game I've ever seen, but its visuals are sufficiently appealing. Some of the maps look fairly similar, and the design is not consistent enough, but overall, it's not all too bad. The engine boasts some nice particle effects, and the vehicles look really nice. Things aren't so pretty when you zoom in on the soldiers, but who's zooming in while playing strategy games anyway?

Now if I stopped my review here, some of you would probably go out and grab a copy of this game. I'm afraid, however, there's more information that I should share with you before you rush out to the store to grab a copy. As far as "straightforward" action strategies go, this has got to be the single most pathetic display of Artificial Intelligence in a strategy game I have ever witnessed in my life! The path finding in FC is beyond atrocious. It's so bad, I think Bitmap Brothers would've been better off setting the game in the deserts of Sudan, as the troops would've been a lot less likely to get stuck on buildings, take completely moronic shortcuts that lead them straight to enemy bunkers, or, in some cases, not move at all! I fully realize that an urban environment can present nightmares for programmers in terms of path finding (lots of buildings, narrow streets, etc.), but why-oh-why haven't they at least tried to do something about it? At times, the game becomes virtually unplayable. The interface unfortunately only makes things even more frustrating, as selecting and ordering a large group of units to move will result in the AI determining the most idiotic formations for them ever. Actually, you can't even call those "formations." It almost seems like the units will be randomly scattered on the terrain, not even close to the exact spot where you've ordered them to go. Not only will the units have a VERY hard time of getting where they're supposed to go, they will also assume random stupid formations when they get there. That's simply pathetic. Oh yeah, and sometimes, they won't even shoot at the enemy. Other times, they'll go off on a shooting spree without any apparent reason. I'm telling you, if armies were as anarchic and downright stupid as the ones in Frontline Command, we would never have wars in the first place! We wouldn't be able to get to the battlefield! In the game's defense, at least the long-range artillery units will properly position themselves, away from the enemy infantry units, although they too might often get stuck on buildings, fences and such. There are even more interface glitches than I have mentioned (no way to view mission objective during missions; I blew up a bridge once, even though I was supposed to have been guarding it - I didn't know), but I think you get the general idea. As far as intuitive interfaces go, this one is about as user-friendly as the Russian "Lada" service booklet.

And if all of what I've mentioned wasn't enough, you'll be prone to flick your mouse at the monitor screen after hearing the same sound effects, over and over again. On the other hand, the musical score is pretty good and the quality of the sound effects (not the unit sounds) is top notch.

Now if you take into account the fact that Frontline Command doesn't offer any effective or memorable novelties, doesn't properly convey the urgency of the missions, or make the player feel like a part of a huge military operation, it becomes painfully apparent why only a WWII strategy fanatic (with a lot of patience) would want to own this game. In game's defense, I did enjoy some of the mission, primarily because the difficulty level was challenging but not too frustrating, which made me kind of forget about the interface and the AI and just enjoy the game for a while.

If I were you, I'd let this one fade away into the annals of history. Maybe with a patch or two things will look better or the AI could get a much-needed work over, but as it stands bow, Frontline Command simply doesn't justify its price tag. Sure, it can be enjoyable at times, and some of the novelties are worth a mention, but overall, that would be hardly enough for this reviewer to shell out cash for it.