Time was when directing troops and tanks meant nothing more sophisticated for most of us than hours on the living room floor fielding toy soldiers, LEGO blocks and marbles.
With the success of Nintendo's
Advance Wars games, however, (check out our
GBA and
DS reviews), virtual conflict on the go has stepped up a gear. And without a own war simulator of its own, the PSP has seemed in danger of being outflanked.
Well get ready for the counter-attack – tucked away on the show floor at the recent Game Developer Conference, we found the Sony handheld's riposte.
Field Commander is certainly a more complex take on the battle arena than Nintendo's games. Instead of the cheerful cartoon capers of
Advance Wars,
Field Commander brings more of a PC strategy gaming bent to the table. Think
Command and Conquer rather than Mario-in-a-tank.
Indeed, the first thing you'll have to get to grips with are all the buttons, because
Field Commander uses everything that's available on PSP. It really is quite daunting to begin with.
It's a turn-based game, so there are no time pressures. Even so, with high definition 3D environments including dense trees, it can be a struggle to work out where's the best place to send your troops. And with up to 36 different types of units to command, you've got a lot of tactical latitude in deployment too.
Unlike
Advance Wars,
Field Commander is much more base-driven. Of course there are the usual mission briefs, such as destroy all enemy units and buildings and so on. But defence is as important as attack, thanks to powerful fixed units such as long distance napalm missiles. Peaceniks needn't worry – you'll be battling the Shadow Nation, a dodgy bunch of gun-running terrorists who are clearly liable for all the extreme prejudice you can throw their way.
You'll also have to be on your guard because
Field Commander is a land, sea and air environment. Without control of all three, you could easily come a cropper if, say, a squadron of enemy Bulldogs or Sloop-of-war start to head your way.
Okay, there's a dash of comedy in there: 'Sloop-of-war', we ask you. But in general
Field Commander is a game you have to take seriously. In the single-player mode there are 30 missions to play through, and with the game's developers being Sony Online Entertainment it's no surprise to find four different online multiplayer modes for you to get to grips with too.
You can even create your own missions and upload them to a central server for others to invade. Heck boy, you're in the army now.
Currently hidden under camo netting and observing strict radio silence,
Field Commander is due for release on the 19th May.
