UberSoldier Game Review

CDV Software Entertainment AG is a publisher widely known and appreciated for its stable of hardcore PC real-time strategy war titles, however as this year has passed so far the folks at CDV are showing the desire to branch out into other genres. One such game is UberSoldier, a new budget-priced, supernatural WWII first-person shooter for the PC from developer Burut Creative Team (or Burut CT) that I have been thoroughly anticipating ever since earlier in the year. Now that UberSoldier is available to the masses, I'm pleased to report that the game doesn't disappoint at all, unless of course you are some snobby mainstream gamer who thinks the genre starts and ends with games like Halo and simply can't take a game for what it is.

Set amidst the tense climate of the height of World War II, UberSoldier follows the wartime tale of Karl Stolz, a Nazi officer killed during an ambush while out on patrol who is later brought back from the dead via secret Nazi experiments. As Nazi scientists have figured out, those that are resurrected are endowed with supernatural powers, creating a breed of genetically modified killing machines called UberSoldiers. Upon being returned to the land of the living as one of these UberSoldiers, Karl still remembers what has been done to him, and thusly he sets out on a mission of revenge to slaughter those responsible for his current state and destroy the machine the Nazis are using in their experiment. While sounding like a fairly cool premise on paper, the story in UberSoldier never solidifies into anything more than filler material intertwining the game's 12 stages and roughly 8-10 hours of play (give or take depending on chosen difficulty setting). What makes matters worse is the absolutely god-awful voice acting, which just might be some of the worst I've ever heard in a videogame. It's not acted well and none of the dialogue ever seems to flow that naturally. At least the music and sound effects are good though.

Thankfully, the forgettable plot and rancid dialogue are merely subtle blemishes here, as UberSoldier is all about fun, stress-relieving shooter gameplay, and in this area the game most definitely excels. Before going any further, though, let me just get this little tidbit off my chest: UberSoldier is a single-player game ONLY, there is no multiplayer whatsoever. This should come as no shock to those who have been following the game, as it has been made perfectly clear for a while now that the game was being developed as a budget title for solo gamers and would not feature online play or multiplayer of any kind. Honestly, this exclusion doesn't bother me one bit since I knew the game wasn't going to have it, plus I find it better that the team didn't simply plaster on mindless deathmatch and capture-the-flag modes just to appease spoiled critics (and that they'd complain about just as much if they were included). Just like with the brilliant action masterpiece Black, UberSoldier is catching unwarranted flack for omitting competitive gameplay options, but while others are bitching and moaning I'll be having a blast appreciating what the game was designed to be.

Now that I've gotten that little rant out of my system, let's get back to the original discussion at hand. UberSoldier is a rather typical WWII FPS in many ways, featuring scripted events, gritty battlefield intensity, an authentic arsenal of weaponry (16 in total) and copious amounts of pure, unadulterated Nazi killing that is actually more realistic than arcade-like in style. The game's selection of weapons, ranging from pistols and sniper rifles to various machine guns and flamethrowers, is definitely one of its strongest points, as each delivers this tactile feedback that just makes firing them off a lot of fun. Using these weapons more often than not boils down to battle tactics more along the lines of pure run-and-gun, however the surprisingly competent AI quickly forces you to keep on your toes at all times. Although I noticed a few extremely rare occurring AI glitches, for example there was this one time a guard turned around and just kept running blindly into a wall, overall enemies are smart about constantly moving around and using cover to their advantage, in addition to being crack marksmen that'll make you dead in a hurry if you stand around in the open.

Throughout most of the game's 12 missions you'll mainly be pumping bad guys full of lead, however Burut CT has taken some time to implement a little diversity and a couple of distinguishing gameplay mechanics. Battles aren't solely restricted to handheld firearms in this game. For example, one stage set onboard a submarine has you destroying a fleet of attacking ships using the periscope to target and launch torpedoes before hopping out onto the deck of the submarine to fire at a wave of airborne bombers via mounted anti-aircraft turrets. It is still all just shooting, but at least there is some semblance of variety going on.

Where UberSoldier really sets itself apart from other shooters is in its Time Shield mechanic and emotion-based "Wrath Reward" system. During the process of being brought back to life as an UberSoldier, Karl has gained the special mental power to activate a shield around him. By killing enemies Karl gains energy, and once his energy gauge is full enough you can activate the Time Shield by tapping the Q key, which then encapsulates Karl inside a protective sphere for as long as his mental energy supply holds up. While the shield is up and running, incoming bullets are suspended in air around Karl and Karl's return fire is likewise deflected. The clever and oh so cool catch to this is that if Karl has enough energy built up the bullets caught inside the shield's barrier will be fired back at the opposition once the shield is deactivated. This makes for many useful attack possibilities, as you can fire your own rounds at a target and quickly deactivate the shield to launch the suspended rounds forward before quickly reactivating the shield to remain safe. You can even walk floating bullets into an enemy as well.

As for the Wrath Reward system, the game rewards you for certain skills in combat. By performing three headshots in quick succession, for instance, Karl's emotion of anger kicks in to provide a significant boost to energy supply, while slicing up three enemies in a row using knife attacks will increase Karl's maximum health capacity by two points each time through the emotion of rage. These unique touches are slick indeed, my only complaint is that the system wasn't fleshed out even more, and the same goes for the Time Shield ability. Karl is supposed to be this ultimate breed of warrior, it would've been far more compelling to see more than only one special power and two emotion enhancements. But I guess you can chalk this lack of depth to the game being a budget release.

That being said, you sure can't tell UberSoldier is a budget title by looking at it, as this game is backed by graphics engine that can easily compare to most any of today's top PC graphical powerhouses. The high-end visuals do require a beastly gaming rig to appreciate at their utmost beauty, however even when run on the lower system settings the game still remains a damn fine-looking game. Detailed weapon models, destructive environments (although mostly scripted in nature), gratifying blood spatters on walls and spectacular lighting and reflection effects stand out as impressive to list just a few, but what really makes this game shine in the end is its remarkable independent object physics system. Every object in the game, from boxes and barrels in the game world to weapons and equipment on characters, has its own object-oriented physics. That means explosions are different every time, with bodies flailing around to your extreme delight (you've gotta love rag doll physics), helmets and weapons flying off and exploding debris scattering in unique ways.

In a weird set of circumstances, the game's standout physics also actually make up what I found to be the game's worst offense. With every object having its own physics, that means things like tables and crates will knock around when you run into them. Consequently, since most environments are quite plentiful with set pieces such as these there are some aggravating instances that'll see you getting stuck on objects as you try to run by, which can and will happen at inopportune moments resulting in your untimely demise.

Halo fanboys and multiplayer whores who ridiculously bash any FPS that doesn't have online play will likely turn their noses at UberSoldier, but that's their problem, not mine. No, UberSoldier is not the be all end all of first-person shooters (and I don't recollect the developers ever claiming that it was going to be), but regardless of its flaws it is still a whale of a good time that is well worth the game's affordable budget price. It certainly kept me entertained more than most of today's over-hyped, higher profile FPSs. If you have an open mind free from absurdly comparing every FPS that comes along to Halo, Half-Life, Call of Duty or Battlefield, I highly recommend at least giving UberSoldier a shot - it looks outstanding, features an impressive (and very satisfying) physics system, introduces a few inventive little touches and, most importantly, is just damn fun to play.

Rating: 8/10