Frontlines: Fuel of War (Xbox 360) review on HonestGamers

Systems > Xbox 360 > F > Frontlines: Fuel of War > Staff Review

Sign into your user account to view or leave feedback for this review. Don't have an account yet? You can click here to open one. It only takes a minute, and it's free!

Review by Felix Arabia
March 09, 2008

We live in a very frightening world, one that has been gripped by terrorism, global warming, catastrophic natural disasters, arms races, and dwindling oil supplies. All of these items are powerful in how they shape our history, but it is the last one that has the greatest effect on our civilization. Imagine a world without oil. Not only do our economic and military machines come to a grinding halt, but our technological advancements and imaginative innovations become focused on solely one area – war!

According to our history books and news reports, that is what our world will be like in 2024. For the past two decades, our society has crumbled in the face of an impending and ominous challenge – oil independence. Biodegradable fuels never developed. Solar power proved to be too inefficient, and cleaner nuclear power plants never became a reality. Instead of living in a cleaner, greener world dependent on ethanol and the sun, we find ourselves gripped with the stark reality that there are only a few more oil reserves left. Humanity can only hope that these precious few resources will be sufficient for enabling a greater energy source. But until that day comes, our future is bleak. The oil is limited, and we must fight for it.

Enter the Stray Dogs, an elite fighting unit employed by the “Coalition”. As the good guys, it’s their job to ensure stability in Turkistan, the last remaining area saturated in oil. This landlocked region in Central Asia has historically been a remote and obscure realm, but it now is serves as a battleground between the West and the East.

Russia and China have banded together to form their own union, the Red Star Alliance. With their massive militaries, they hope to swallow up every last drop of black gold lest America and her allies squander it for their own use. With the sides set and the objectives clear, the world is about to embark on the most desperate war waged yet.

Frontlines: Fuel of War wastes little time in painting a bleak future for humanity. We are immediately given a somber outlook on potential things to come, yet never do we feel that all hope is lost. Not even our fighting boys in the Stray Dogs unit ever feel that their mission lacks purpose. Their fighting, fundamentally controlled by your adept video game prowess, will mean more for the world’s success than any other campaign ever waged in our short history.

However, things begin badly. It’s not bad enough that their chopper gets shot down over some ramshackle podunk in Turkmenistan (not to be confused with Turkistan), but their war correspondent is captured, too. In the game’s opening moments, we’re cast into the role of a soldier and forced to defend our position with little more than an automatic rifle. It is during this time that we realize how well Frontlines controls. Gameplay is tight, and aiming is spot on. It always bothers me when a first-person shooter feels loose or unresponsive, but no such issues flare up here.

Instead, we’re actually treated to quite an epic and well-designed adventure.

It would be easy to dismiss this title, especially after all the other great FPSes we’ve seen in the past year, but it doing so would be entirely unfair. Besides containing a gripping story and solid mechanics, Frontlines is fully capable of providing grandiose modern combat in large, beautifully rendered levels. You’ll get a good understanding of the game’s size and scope when you peer off into the distance and notice destroyed facades and smoldering silhouettes standing far off into the distance. If you’re approaching these ruins, chances are they’re filled with enemy forces. And that means you’re going to have a grand time fighting for every oncoming inch of ground.

Levels are broken into objectives, which are detailed on a HUD map that shows the current territory makeup. Capturing a forward enemy outpost may move the border back some distance, which then allows reinforcements to arrive. It makes everything seem adequately realistic in terms of war operations, and it’s always satisfying when a large chunk of red territory turns blue on your map.

The entire single-player campaign consists of only seven levels, but each is lengthy. Particularly noteworthy is the fifth level, which requires the Stray Dogs to take on a heavily defended Russian fortress. Not only do you get to pilot a tank in the offensive’s spearhead, but you also get to take to the skies in an attack helicopter. Combat gets particularly explosive as you rain countless rockets toward the opposition, turning their dull grey vessels into glowing hunks of burning steel. Of course, that is only the opening segment as you are then required to battle through debris-ridden tunnels and past legions of enemy troops so that you may enter into the heart of the base in order to defuse an impending nuclear doom.

Frontlines: Fuel of War has no problem putting the player in chaotic situations. It has no problem dropping bombs, so to speak. While the fifth level was my favorite, the other six each had their moments, and there never is a boring or unfair segment cast into the mix. The game plays out fantastically in both the single and multiplayer campaigns despite the fact that there are a few petty annoyances that appear from time to time. For example, enemy soldiers are incredibly hearty fellows. You can shoot a “comrade” in the chest with a sniper rifle, and it won’t even cause him to flinch. Sure, the bullet just tore a cavity through his breastplate and out of his back, but it’s almost as if he doesn’t even know that he was just shot. That doesn’t seem realistic. If any enemy gets shot, he should flinch a bit. Also, allied A.I. isn’t always as good as it should be. When capturing an enemy artillery position, one of my fellow Stray Dogs ran right into a glowing trail of enemy tracer fire. Worse, he didn’t even bother to shoot back though he could have easily dispatched the belligerent foe.

Luckily, these little flaws only slightly detract from the overall experience that Frontlines: Fuel of War works so hard to create. We’re driving into the heart of Russia, battling through the bulwarks of the former Soviet Union, and having one helluva time doing it otherwise. It’s a wonderful contrast to the bleak premise, and a strong reason for why any fan of the first-person shooter genre should invest their limited funds on this stellar underdog.

Rating
9	Outstanding The majority of games simply aren't this good. It stands aside from the crowd and you'd be crazy to miss it.
Read more about the review rating scale...

Staff reviews represent the opinion of the individual staff member that wrote them and do not necessarily represent the opinion of the site staff as a whole. If you disagree with the contents of this review, you may click to leave feedback on our dedicated forum. Thank you!

HG 2009 Fundraising Progress: $348 / $2500 (14%)

Click to learn about the Fundometer or to advertise.

Game Profile & Content

All

Frontlines: Fuel of War (X360) game cover art

Staff Score (Avg): 9.0 User Score (Avg): N/A Press Score (Avg): N/A
Reviews: 1 Guides: 0 Cheats: 0 Ratings: 1	High Scores: 0 Screenshots: 8 Videos: 0

Title: Frontlines: Fuel of War
Genre: First-Person Shooter (Contemporary)
Publisher: THQ
Developer: Kaos Studios
Release Date: 2008
ESRB: T
Save: 60KB
Platforms: PC, PS3, X360

Do you own this game? Register for a free account to track it and other games in your collection!

Voice Your Opinion...

Average User Rating (1 rating)

Only registered users can rate this game!

Xbox 360 discussion forums

While you're here...

Modern Warfare 2 is another Xbox 360 game in the First-Person Shooter genre that has been attracting activity lately, so you might want to check it out and see what all of the fuss is about!