Call of Duty: Strike Team Review

The appearance of a traditional Call of Duty on iOS is long overdue – with the gap ably filled by Gameloft's lookalike Modern Combat series – as earlier entries focused on the Zombies survival side mode from the console games. But much as Call of Duty: Strike Team resembles its big-budget brethren on the surface, it's not quite as typical as it seems, thanks to the ability to switch to an overhead tactical view and control multiple squad members with simple taps. And that's a very good thing, as the mobile-friendly perspective is actually the better half of this glossy military shooter experience.

Spun off from last year's futuristic mega-hit Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Strike Team delivers a series of shorter (5-15 minute) missions split into three mini-campaigns, respectively set within a base in the Arctic Circle, the streets of Afghanistan, and the rainy streets and rooftops of Kowloon. However, instead of being one well-equipped soldier amidst the usual cinematic chaos, you'll typically control two characters, and occasionally be flanked by another pair controlled by the A.I. You can easily swap between the two active soldiers to utilize their distinct firearms, or use one to flank an enemy while the other draws its fire.

Much as Strike Team successfully captures the look and basic feel of the series' trademark campaign action (albeit with fewer scripted moments), playing in the first-person view proves a bit clumsy. You can't fire and adjust your aim with the same thumb — unlike in Modern Combat — and the virtual firing button proves a bit unresponsive in action. It's not like the enemies offer up much of a challenge, however; they'll unload their clips in your general direction, but it takes a ton of enemy fire to fall in the first-person perspective, and they won't make too great of an effort to dodge your attacks either.

Luckily, a quick tap of the flying drone button in the upper left seamlessly shifts to an overhead perspective, where you can stealthily move your crew, point out targets for automated execution, and better see the opposition with simple taps and pinches. It's a smart approach for mobile, though more effective for planning and moving in tandem than actually attacking; you'll likely want to swap back to the first-person view when it comes to gunning down foes.

While the common Call of Duty action isn't quite as precise or exhilarating as on consoles, Strike Team offers up a very solid first attempt – one that's genuinely improved by the addition of the tactical perspective, and is a good foundation upon which to improve down the line. The omission of multiplayer is a downer, though, and the survival stages and leaderboard challenges here can't quite replace the sensation of duking it out over the Internet – something that, once again, Modern Combat has been doing very well in this space for some time.

The bottom line. Strike Team adds a successful team-based tactical edge to the Call of Duty formula, though spotty shooting controls and missing multiplayer dampen the appeal a bit.

Judul:
Ditulis oleh Unknown
Rating Blog 5 dari 5