This game however takes place during the 1991 Gulf War and once again has players operating as either US Special Forces or British SAS operatives. There's no Saddam Hussein in either Conflict Desert Storm game, but the sequel offers up some technical enhancements a few new moves and weapons and even more of the hardcore tactical squad combat that made the original an underground favorite. Not enough of what was wrong in the first game has been fixed to make this one a giant leap over its predecessor but fans of the series will be pleased with the new missions and handful of fresh features.
Gameplay
The tactical squad-based action in the Conflict series is unlike the system we've come to know in the Tom Clancy-themed games like Rainbow Six partly because we're getting the third person perspective. CDSII stays true to this essence by requiring players to plan, strategize and engage in combat all on the fly. The set of skills you'll need to be successful is unique among many similar themed games. Fast twitch read and reaction abilities like you'd need in a third person shooter combined with the patience and analytical skills you might have to use in a real time strategy are both at a premium and it is for this reason that this second game in the series should be received with open arms .
In Conflict you're given command of four specially equipped soldiers, only one of whom can be controlled at one time if you're playing solo. You can switch to any character at any time to maneuver and use them as you see fit or you can issue basic movement commands at any time. Each trooper comes equipped with health packs, primary weapons, secondary weapons, grenades, knives and other special equipment like laser targeting scopes and flare guns. The specialization comes from the weapons each soldier carries and their proficiency at using them. Your squad leader is good at using assault rifles. Your sniper obviously excels at high powered single-shot rifles. Your heavy weapons expert has mastered rocket launchers and anti-tank weapons as well as his heavy machine gun. Your demolitions expert comes with C4 in his pack and happens to be handy with a med kit as well.
The new stuff in CDSII includes the white phosphorous grenade, the ability to hold on to grenades after pulling the pin to time the explosion to your liking and the increased focus on using special equipment. It was possible to succeed in the last game without using all of the extra gear in your trooper's pack like the knife or smoke bomb or claymore mine. However the savvy CDSII player will be compelled to check their inventory, especially when you start finding new goodies in the environment, for the perfect tool or weapon they need to get through a tough situation. Smoke bombs, for example, are extremely handy this time around since they can provide cover when there's an assault chopper waiting outside of a building and you have to run across the street to get the rocket launcher to take it out. The handful of new weapons, gadgets and moves like this mean you'll have some new ways to approach problems in the game.
The strategic part of Conflict Desert Storm II is to know how to best use your troops in any given situation while your reaction time will help you adjust and execute your plans when things get tough and hectic. Moving in and out of structures and covering your weak spots as you quickly pull the trigger to take down enemies, whilst managing the characters you're not controlling and advancing through environments both urban and in the desert is what you'll be doing in CDSII. The increased difficulty as you push through the game comes from your mission assignments that get tougher and ask you to do those basic maneuvers under different conditions and parameters. Early on you're just wasting Iraqi troops as soon as you see them. Soon you'll have to escort characters or defend specific vehicles and buildings and then maybe fight your way out of that situation to an extraction zone, that is, if you didn't already have to fight your way in. It's the range of skills you'll need in the game and the constant rewards you get once you've mastered them that makes Desert Storm II so appealing even if there are a few annoying things to get in the way.
With so many abilities and responsibilities, the control system in CDSII is extremely complicated but you will be required to master it early on if you want to succeed. PC owners will have it much easier over their console brethren, even though Pivotal should be commended for once again fitting all of that control on to a controller. For console owners the biggest weakness of the game does come from the fact that using analog sticks to move and aim isn't as responsive or precise as it could be, especially when you see how it works on the PC's mouse and keyboard control. Some of the control problems are tied to the accompanying animations. There are times when you won't be able to traverse and aim at an enemy fast enough even when they're right next to the character you're controlling. You have free control over the camera, which is locked to where you're aiming, but the game still feels like it needs some tuning in this area because the pacing is a little too slow. It's a good thing the enemies are slow too otherwise things could've been disastrous. As it is, moving and aiming is difficult at first, but with some patience you can work with the system. It just seems that a game with such deep gameplay elements should have smoother control.
New to CDSII is the ability to roll around on the ground once your trooper is in a prone position. This is can be used to move characters into and out of cover and to put out the fire if and when they start burning. You could stop drop and roll in Splinter Cell, but CDSII's system is what fire marshals had in mind. An online or network multiplayer component would've been a terrific leap for the series and is something that could be done easily enough given the structure of the game.
Graphics
The level of detail in both the environments and controllable characters is impressive even if the animations of all characters and the enemy models are a bit below average. CDSII boasts shiny new atmospheric effects like swirling sandstorms and striking desert sunsets and sunrises, so the overall visual presentation is improved over the original game.
For all of the little enhancements made to the game's visuals --like seeing a soldier's breath during cool desert afternoons(?)-- there are other areas that were inexplicably overlooked. Your soldiers still move with very basic animations where arms and legs move when they're running or attacking but the motions are fluid or very lifelike. None of them seem to be carrying any weight; not their own, nor any of the 80 pounds of equipment infantry troops carry. All of the characters in Desert Storm II move like enemies from a 1999 or 2000 shooter where they "run" by skating over surfaces with legs pumping. This ties into other slight collision detection issues like maneuvering near complicated structures, stairs and buildings. Quick little corrective "hops" in animation as the game tries to smooth out whatever motions you're going through can be pretty jarring.
The new peeking animation is well done mainly because it's made to be more functional for the gamer and not the character in the game. The soldier leans slightly but it's the big dramatic camera swing to show what's around a corner that drives home the point. The rolling animation is far too fast given the pacing of every other soldier movement. There's no weight shift, but your troops can crank out three or four full rolls per second. There are hatchback engines in this world that don't crank that fast.
The Allied soldiers at least have more details on their uniforms and equipment with deep shadows and individual straps. The texture maps on the environments are well done too considering the complexity of the structures. The game could've been washed out a lot more and simply chalked up as the "gritty" Desert Storm experience, but underneath it all, the developers at Pivotal do a good job representing Iraqi architecture and the desert badlands. Sure, all we know about that region of the world is what we've seen on 24 hour news networks, but Desert Storm II at least captures this essence very well.
Some more impressive weapon effects from pistols to rifles to cannons would be nice.
Sound
The voice samples in the game are as functional as all of the other sound effect and audio cues in Conflict Desert Storm II. Telling your troops to engage at their discretion or to follow you around comes with a hearty "Fire at will!" or "On me!" but it's the same voice sample no matter who's giving the command. The only distinction is between British or US accents. On the other hand, the variety of the voice samples you'll hear will actually help you figure out what's going on in the game. The characters you're not controlling will call out their status and let you know when they're under attack or when they've dropped an enemy. Throughout missions you'll get crucial information on your mission status over the radio and this is a good thing since the missions can be quite lengthy and intricate.
The audio immersion is slightly improved this time around with better implementation of surround sound processes. The low constant rattle of gunfire from a nearby battle can be split by the zipping sound of enemy soldiers shooting at your position. Both the compass and the sound of the shots coming at your will tell you where the heat is coming from.
The weapon sound effects are more or less the same as they were the last time around. That is, not enough unique firing sounds given the range of weapons used in the game. The heavy machine guns, assault rifles and submachine guns seem to all have the same rate of fire but you can distinguish one from the other by the tone of their reports. Close, but no cigar.The custom soundtrack option is a nice touch...except for PS2 owners.