Sudden Attack Review: Takes Over From Counterstrike

Sudden Attack Review: Takes Over From Counterstrike
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist

First Person Shooters (FPS) have been enjoyed by a lot of gamers throughout the years. It's a rather timeless genre in my opinion as it is still being played by a broad community of gamers either it be through PC or consoles. Counterstrike is one of these games, depicting the battle between Terrorists and counter terrorists. Time has passed and I can't say that the FPS genre is bound to die soon. Sudden Attack pretty much picks up where Counterstrike left off.

The game has earned a wide audience in Korea, and just like any game that hits a certain level of popularity, the MMOFPS (Massively Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter) was taken to other countries to hook more fans. The scenery and graphics are quite similar to that of Counterstrike's beta release. Yes I am quite aware that this game is a clone of Valve's shooter, but might I say that they couldn't have picked a better game to clone.

Similarities stated

First of all, There are 2 factions in the game: Rebel Troops and UG Forces, the characters still use the GSG9 uniforms which were found in the Valve game. You could say that the game is pretty much a revamped counterstrike with more players. The game also lacks the sudden melee movement, meaning players will have to switch to their knives in order to start short-ranged mass murder. It's really not a big deal since most people have gotten used to it by now, but the meta actually brought instant melee movements into the gaming scene. The controls are really similar as well, with numbers for weapon selection (along with the Q "prev weapon" key).  You'll still be using W,A,S,D keys for movement, so I'm sure the learning curve wont be that bad unless you just completely suck at FPSes. I'm not really against the UBER cloning process, but the only thing that separates this game from an FPS shooter is the rankings and labeling. The MMO world has more FPSes than just Sudden Attack, but might I saw that this game is the closest you'll ever get to Counterstrike. Is that a good thing? I'm not sure either. The game uses a variety of existing weapons normally found in SWAT Teams and Rainbow 6 themed squads. The account of realism is better than high tech artillery for some people, and of course this is the game to play if ever you're into those types of scenarios.

Scenarios and Maps

In order to preserve its non-repetitive nature, Sudden Attack has enforced a good variety of maps to destroy the linearity of starting the same game over and over again. There are 5 scenarios in the game, each with their own set of maps. There is the traditional CounterStrike "Plant the bomb" routine (which doesn't get old really), the Siege mode (conquering territory scenario), Capture the target (basically the same as protect the V.I.P), and of course the traditional Oh So lovable Deathmatch (should I even explain this?). There's also the melee wanton massacre mode called Mad cage which is basically the melee version of deathmatch mode where you are standed in a remote island on a Jurassic park cage (hah! No wonder it's a MAD cage).

Higher is stronger?

In game ranking is probably one of the best reasons why you would want to grind the game. Players must play to gain experience, earning a corresponding amount to how well or bad they do in a game. This feature is probably enough to keep gamers from abstaining their usual playtime. Even in other FPS games like Halo and Call of Duty, rankings are pretty fun to grind, so if you're looking for a good casual game to pass the time, this is definitely it.

Problems?

The artillery is really limited here, and you have to pay money to use some of the better weapons in the game. Of course it still depends on your play style if ever you get to use it properly. The item mall isn't really up and ready in other servers (locals) but it's bound to carry the same content as its original server. You can also purchase character costumes to make your character special, which is rather important if you're in a rush to attain a higher rank. Some items can grant you an advantage in gaining ranks but doesn't affect the gameplay whatsoever. Its still tier whoring in a way as some guns are GODLIKE when used to its full potential; then again, this shouldn't bother you if you're quite confident about your skills. There are some useless items that do nothing but erase your kill count record if ever you feel like you've sucked long enough, but seriously... would you pay for something like that? The funny part is that EXP points are also being sold so what's the use of buying something that increases your EXP rate if you can just get it at a flick of a finger? Yes, they were probably trying to build up on content but it's just ridiculous.

Guilds

The game uses a guild system known as Squads, and just like any group made in the game, you can level up with other players and compete in various tournaments to attain prizes. Quite catchy I must say, for the community acts as a big factor when playing MMOs.

The Verdict

I've played various MMOFPSes before, from War Rock to Special Forces. I can't really say that this is the best among its competitors since the other games o have better content, not to mention a lot of RELEVANT stuff for sale. The graphics aren't too shabby but definitely at the lower end of the whole MMOFPS genre. It's not really good to judge a game through graphics but as more games come, a lot of older games grow outdated. Although I wasn't completely impressed with the game, I can say that it's still something worth playing. It got me hooked at some point, especially since the game has a nice community that supports its competitive background. Wanna play? I wont stop you.

Pros:
- It's competitive
- Good community
- Item mall
- It's an MMO counterstrike!

The bad:
- Graphics are outdated
- Systems implemented are generic and won't stand out among its competition
- Useless items on the item mall
- Needs more originality.