America's Army: Special Forces

It's hard to be overly critical of any game that's free. If it's cumbersome, boring, or even buggy, the only thing lost is the time you put in. America's Army: Special Forces is definitely not a waste of time however, even offering a few unique and well developed gameplay aspects. Although there are some areas that can become tired, the U.S. Army could have sold this game for $50 and been competitive.

America's Army: Special Forces is mainly a multiplayer game focusing on team work and creating a realistic experience. The concept is to work together with other players as a Special Forces team to overwhelm and destroy the enemy. The catch is you have one life per game. If you take a bullet in the chest or have a grenade explode in front of you, there isn't a life meter that reduces. As in real combat, you're dead and you're part in the game is over. Other aspects such as weapons and their sound effects also add to this realistic approach and are incredibly detailed and accurate. Although this type of unforgiving gameplay might annoy some, the solid gameplay and attention to detail will keep most coming back.

As you might expect there are a few problems that come up. Most of the moderate issues however focus on a lack of variety instead of gameplay flaws. There aren't enough maps for instance and the limited single player mode consists of training exercises which lack any real challenge.

The graphics and audio effects help to overcome the lack of diversity however as the quality of both meets expectations of a game that costs $50 instead of nothing. Environments, weapons, and soldiers are all well detailed and textured with appropriate sounds effects to immerse you in the middle of battle.

You never know what you're going to get from a freebee but if it's developed by the U.S. Army, it will definitely be worth the download. It's clear the Army is taking this development seriously as the results are impressive. Unless multiplayer, online games aren't your thing, head over to AmericasArmy.com and see for yourself.

UPDATE: Continuing to support their product, the U.S. Army has released another mission for America's Army: Special Forces. Sandstorm mission adds a new challenge as a Special Forces team must seize and hold 3 biological component containers. Working with indigenous forces in a desert city, you must do whatever it takes to compete the mission.