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There are 2 parts to this
review, please use the pulldown below to browse sections or simply hit "Next"
at the bottom of each section to continue
Setting up and Initial Impressions
by Richard "makit3d" Throgmorton
Without the movies available I was immediately dropped into them main menu
where I could setup my controls. First thing I noticed was the abysmal speed
of the cursor. Horribly slow. If there could only be one thing I would suggest
for improvement it would be a better implemented menu cursor. Aside from this
the configuration menus were fairly easy to navigate. They are setup in a type
of hierarchy that doesn't revert to the menu heading when you switch back and
forth between the game and menus. Quite handy when you are trying to tweak out
the various control options or when you are trying to tweak out a specific game
setting, like key bindings, while inside the game.
 One
thing to note about the key bindings section is the split screen for default
and alternate settings. In the default section you can change the keys but they
will not actually change the settings. You have to set the alternate keys in
order for your personal settings to be recorded. Doing this will also override
the default and If you do set two keys the same you get an error message telling
you of a conflict when you go to save. Apparently, there is an issue with the
demo with people not being able to save their keys. I had no such problem.
For
this review I had the left the graphics settings alone (which were mostly at
HIGH) and jumped into the game. From the very beginning I was genuinely impressed.
I am a architectural illustrator for a design firm and when I see a game and
its environment I am very discerning on its quality. Moving around this game
I was very pleased with the detail and style. The character models were also
well detailed and the textures were very well created. As you move around you
get a great sense of the atmosphere the creators were looking for. A dark, depressing
world torn apart by a seemingly never-ending, violent war. The design alone
was worth the install troubles.
The
movements and attitude of the characters were on par with the rest of the game.
When you look down at your feet you actually see your legs. When you go down
a ladder the motions doing so are accurately modeled. You turn, bend down and
place your hands to brace yourself, then you put your feet on the first rungs
of the ladder and begin to descend. Nicely done. The act of moving up the ladder
was similar, but in trying to so I often had to make the attempt more then once
to get it to work. This appeared to be more of a timing issue but it would have
been nice for it to be better implemented for quicker action rather than more
realistic. It could become very frustrating in times of rushed combat.
Character
movement was similar to Quake 3, but could use tweaking in the settings for
smoothness. I found myself getting a headache after an extended period of time
(40 min) as I did when I first played Q3. This may not cause a problem for many
people, but for those who sometimes get headaches as I do may find a similiar
problem here. Increasing the visual settings on my video card (using Radeon
Tweaker) and making changes to the games video quality helped to alleviate some
of the problem at the expense of fps. Those with faster video cards and similar,
or faster, systems will have an easier time getting excellent video quality
from Ironstorm. If I had to pick the base system for above average performance
it would be a p4 1.8/athlon 1.5 with a R8500/GF3 ti4200.
Last Impressions and Conclusion
The
AI for the enemies appeared to be very well done albeit somewhat predictable.
Your comrades are quick to get killed, or cowered in hiding inside the transport
where start level 3, leaving you to battle the enemy alone. Not to say the enemy
was easy to take out because on the hardest setting level 3 will prove difficult
to get through. On the easiest setting level 3 still posed a small challenge
but it was only useful in testing out the controls and in seeing just how far
I could work with the my 'squad'. I would recommend at least the median setting
if you want to have a decent experience from the game. For all out fun the hardest
setting is a blast and highly recommended if you want to get the full experience
of this game.
The
multi-player section was difficult to get a feel for. First, there were only
a few servers available and they were continuously full. When I was able to
connect to one it was usually done so with a high ping (I have a cable modem
at 768/128). The framerates were still usable (around 50), but overall I could
not spend enough time to put enough information together (or screen shots) to
give an accurate review of its playability. Second, my p4 system died before
I had a chance to really get into the MP side of Ironstorm. Look for an update
on the multiplayer aspect in the very near future.
Overall
I was impressed with IronStorm despite the mouse issues and the relative problem
with the video settings. The AI is a blast to play against and more challenging
then I would have expected and the maps included in the demo were excellent
examples of a skilled mapper. I'm looking forward to playing the full version
to see how deep the storyline goes. Hopefully, it will be as well done as the
demo promises
Download the demo HERE.
Visit 4xstudio HERE.
Visit DreamCatchers Games HERE.
Check
for pricing and availability
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