Publisher: Tri Synergy
Publisher 2: Cenega
Developer: Plastic Reality
Category: Strategy
Release Dates
N Amer - 11/19/2003
Korea: Forgotten Conflict Review
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Never has a title been so historically accurate.
Korea: The Forgotten Conflict is exactly that, a forgotten war nestled
somewhere in between World War II and Vietnam. The latter being two wars that
seem to be the historical wars of choice both in film and games. So, that
being said, Korea: Forgotten Conflict (KFC, hey, chicken!) has a lot to offer
for the strategy enthusiast, and a lot more to offer the masochist.
The first thing I noticed about the game was its
striking similarity to the Commandos games from Eidos. The game is a
strategy/action game where you are charged with leading your team of soldiers
to complete various missions. Each soldier has specific talents that will (of
course) be useful as the missions progress AND as the storyline moves forward
additional characters will be available to play. The characters are the
predictable (yet necessary) type; the medic, the ranger/guerilla, the
demolitions expert, the sniper and in a genuine surprise a South Korean
operative who can wear the enemies' uniforms for a little covert field
work. A tidy little group that will guide you through the majority of the
missions. Hard Lesson #1, lose a single character and the game is over.
While the game is definitely geared towards those
gamers who love a good strategy title, there is certainly no loss of action.
In fact, players will find the game to be surprisingly violent with the amount
of artillery available. Heavy explosives, knives, bazookas, tanks and machine
gun nests are available (and more) to tear up your enemies. Something of note
though, I found it strange that the bad guys' weapons seem to have a much
better range then mine, even if we were fighting with comparable weapons.
This was either done intentionally by the programmers to force players to use
more of their brains to beat the game rather then having it be a run and gun
type title OR it was a last minute addition to make up for the game's spotty
A.I. Yes, the North Koreans you fight in this game are not that bright, often
I would be fumbling with my weapon as a soldier strolled up to me and he would
merely spin in circles, rather then light me up. Other times, it would appear
that no matter what I would do, a plethora of soldiers would completely
destroy me no matter what strategic approach I would try. Hard Lesson #2,
save often.
The eye candy this game has is nothing short of
awesome. The attention to detail and the size of the maps is almost enough to
lose yourself in. Whenever a new mission would start, I would scan the map
and get lost in it's immensity, a couple of times I would become so enamored
with the details that a roving patrol would happen upon my team and kill
them. The graphics in this game are by far the game's strongest
point. Highly detailed buildings, constant activity and clear, definitive
lines. Hard Lesson #3 looking around too much will kill you, get familiar
with the quick load key.
My ears bleed, the voice over work in this game
could best be described as bad, as I quickly scrambled to turn the whole thing
down. Yes, this includes the improperly paced music for the game and the thin
sounding vehicle engines. Sure the explosions were tolerable as was the gun
battles, but to me this means that only 25% of the games audio was up to par.
Some will argue that in game music isn't important, but I disagree, I enjoy a
well done score. Don't believe me? Try playing Half Life without the "hero"
music.
KFC is a good idea with some small annoying things
that keep it from being a great title. Simple tasks like checking the dead
for equipment isn't as easy as it should be and neither is working with the
characters inventory. Again. the game's A.I. isn't very even as the game
progresses and the sound is atrocious. It's all a real shame as I really
liked the stealthy mission driven storyline and the impressive maps. It's
almost as if the programmers spent too much time working on level design and
not enough on the supporting aspects.
Gameplay: 5.9
While it's easy to have several characters run
around the map completing tasks, why is it so darn hard to work with my
inventory. Too much of some and not enough of the other make for an uneven,
frustrating experience.
Graphics: 8.2
Awesome looking MASSIVE levels that have a real
attention to detail. Characters look historically correct. Nice tight
graphics that try to but just don't hold the game up.
Sound: 4.5
Let me put it this way, I turned everything off
and listened to my wife sing holiday songs.
Difficulty: Hard
Only because it will take someone with incredible
patience to put up with the infuriating bugs, the seemingly random A.I. and
the uneven controls.
Concept: 7.5
Nice idea, choosing a war that has gone by mostly
ignored, and the mission load out was pretty cool.
Overall: 6.8
It could have been better, it should have been
better, what happened?
GameZone Review Detail
6.8
GZ Rating
| Gameplay | 5.9 |
| Graphics | 8.2 |
| Sound | 4.5 |
| Difficulty | Hard |
| Concept | 7.5 |
| Overall | 6.8 |
Avg. Web Rating
5.5
