Product Description

Raven Squad is a tactical action game set in the Amazonian jungles that blends a first person shooter (FPS) experience with the command and overview advantages of a tactical real-time strategy (RTS) with dominantly story driven objectives. The player can solve each tactical situation using his own combination of the two genres either by himself or cooperatively with a friend.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14737 in Video Games
• Brand: Southpeak
• Model: 00053
• Published on: 2009-08
• Released on: 2009-08-25
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Platform: Xbox 360
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: .57" h x 5.40" w x 7.55" l, .33 pounds

Features

• Featuring the best of both worlds, Raven Squad has core FPS and RTS gameplay combined, for a new type of experience
• A multiplayer co-operative campaign that allows players to take control of a squad and play through the entire game with a friend online
• Multiple solutions to every conflict - every battle can play out differently and be resolved in many different ways
• Set in the Amazon in the year 2011, players will experience lush jungle visuals, haunting ambient sounds, changes in the weather, and an enemy in their home element
• 8 characters with their own unique backgrounds, personalities, behaviors, weapons and skills Players can order their squads into vehicles and take the wheel in first-person mode

Customer Reviews

Don't bother -- it's not worth it
When the only reason you want to pick up, rent, try or buy a game is the fact that it has a new `revolutionary feature' of its genre, it's a surefire sign that the game is most likely going to suck.

Raven Squad: Operation Hidden Dagger takes place several decades in the future, after a global financial incident has crippled many of the world's foreign, third-world countries. Because of this, guerilla factions are warring between one another, claiming territories of their own through terrorism and violence. This is what the game centers around--an event that, supposedly, should lead the player into an exciting first-person shooter.

To put it simply, I wasn't paying much attention to the story. The voice acting, the lack of a clearer, more defined visualization of what was happening (i.e, the loading screen,) and the cut scenes do nothing to enhance the story. The graphics, while not bad, look like something that could have come out of a final run of Xbox, Gamecube of Playstation 2 games. You should expect more when loading up a 360 games graphics-wise when they're so far ahead with their technology.

The combat, in a nutshell, varies between the levels and how you have to complete the mission. The first `tutorial' level takes place primarily in first-person mode, but soon switches over to the tactical, RTS-styled gameplay halfway through the level. First-person mode leaves nothing to be desired due to the fact that the game has so many flaws. Your team's A.I is so stupid that, at times, they won't even shoot enemies that are coming by them, nor will they attempt to take cover unless you yourself are near it. They follow you around like dogs and expect you to take care of them most of the time. The same problem happens in RTS mode, where, in normal, well-structured games, the units are able to defend themselves. Sadly, though, this doesn't work. Repeatedly clicking of enemies or cover is necessary to complete the missions without dying over and over.

The voice acting and animation is... subpar, to say the least. Mouth movements don't look like mouth movements, the voice acting is too load or sounds too much like voice acting in parts, and animation is clumsy. Enemies run/act the same, your team shifts around and acts the same way, and idle animations are repeated over and over again. Graphics, like I mentioned before, are bad. Even the weapons--which should be a quality part of a FPS--appear to be no more than wooden models or something you would find in a children's toystore.

PROS -

- The RTS, while not exciting, is better than the FPS mode.

Cons -

- Bad graphics and animations leave the player wanting more.

- A.I. Your teammates are about as smart as the average housedog and will do nothing but follow you around, only shooting when you shoot at something (or, in RTS, until you click on the enemy.) Enemy A.I is about as intelligent as you are, so it's basically a lose/win situation.

- Story. The story leaves nothing to be desired. The bad voice acting, cutscenes and lack of more engaging visuals on loading screens makes for a boring story experience.

- Combat. What should be the central and most entertaining post of this game falls short in the fact that killing enemies is extremely difficult. A shot to the head usually kills someone, right? Well, not in this game--at least, not always. Multiple shots are required to kill one enemy.

- Environment. Like the graphics, the environment could be better done, and could feature more interaction. Houses are not destructible, even when hit with a rocket launcher or a bomb; trees, plants and rocks do not react to your presence, and lighting does not reflect off your weapons or characters (at least, as far as I could see.)

I would've given this game more of a chance were it not for the unbearable amount of things wrong or underdone with it. The fact that I made it through three-and-a-half levels was amazing enough. A FPS game should be engaging in combat, which it isn't, and an RTS should feature more strategy than simply moving units from point A to point B and killing characters. Special commands are extremely difficult to use, combat is frustrating, and the A.I is unbearable.

I give this game a two out of five, if only because I managed to make it through the first three levels. Don't rent it, don't buy it, and definitely don't consider giving it to a friend--they probably won't be your friend anymore.