Flashpoint Germany
Score: 84% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Matrix Games Developer: Matrix Games Media: CD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Turn-Based Strategy/ Online
Graphics & Sound: Flashpoint Germany doesn’t bother with the fancy 3D-rendered maps like the strategy games of late. Instead, its interface is information driven rather than aesthetically driven. A simple 2D grid layout of the German countryside is all you’ll get, but you’ll be able to know lots about it through the data that can be channeled through it at the press of a button. Units are represented in each grid square as a box that tells what kind of unit it is. The rest of the game looks like a windows application (it even acts as a separate window on your desktop so you can continue to do other things while you stop the red forces from taking over western Europe), which helps Flashpoint Germany deliver the maximum amount of information with the least amount of trouble. Sound wise, the game is seriously lacking. During the actual gameplay no music can be heard, and the sound effects are few and far between, limited only to vehicles moving and the relatively few attacks that are going on. This game’s bells and whistles are the inverse of the amount of data that you are given.
Gameplay: Flashpoint Germany is a turn-based strategy game set in the 80's during a hypothetical Soviet invasion of West Germany. Tom Clancy fans will find this setting an interesting one, as it harps back to “Red Storm Rising,” one of his books with a similar premise. This theoretical war was supposed to last no more than 30 days by Russia’s calculations, but it only lasted a week. This seven-day campaign is laid out for you to play in different missions, and it can be played as either side (NATO or the Soviet forces). Of the 17 missions there are to choose from, more often than not NATO will be on the defensive and the Soviets will be pushing forward with one of their offenses. And, coincidentally, NATO is almost always outnumbered. However, the small number of forces it has at its disposal are potent fighting forces and will usually kill more than their number in enemy forces. Being set in the late 80's, most of the forces on the battlefield are comprised of mechanized units: tanks, APCs, artillery, etc. There is no close combat in Flashpoint Germany, only the bombardment of your enemy. Artillery plays a big role, both on and off map. At times you have the opportunity to bombard the opposing forces all the way across the map via shelling or air strikes. The mission objectives involve controlling areas of the map you are playing on. At the end of each mission, each side tallies up its victory points. These are earned by controlling vital points on the map (having more of your units in an area than your opponent) and killing enemy units. Playing one side is a completely different experience than playing the other; it’s perimeter defense vs. breaking through the enemy lines. Each side’s situation seems desperate, and when you’re playing the game and you can only see what’s in your units’ lines of sight, you’ll more often than not feel a bit nervous about your strategy. All of the missions in Flashpoint Germany can be played in any order. There is no real end to the game, just a series of missions in a storyline that allow you to either follow them in a campaign-style method, or hop around and see how the campaign played out at different times. This may seem pointless to some, but real armchair generals will revel in the material that is provided which allows you to create many possible outcomes to the war.
Difficulty: There is a lot of information to digest in Flashpoint Germany. Thankfully, the game starts you out with two tutorial missions which introduce you to the fundamentals of the game. There are a lot of settings, buttons, and orders which make up the core of FG. The tutorials give you guidance on just enough of these to allow you to play the game, but not too much to discourage a new player. It will take a while before anyone gets really fluent in the interface of this game, but with a minimal understanding of it, fun can be had from FG.
Game Mechanics: Flashpoint Germany plays more like a windows app. than a game. You’ll find yourself dropping down menus and right clicking on everything to issue orders. This is a blessing and a curse. This system allows a lot of control over the game, but it is difficult to get used to quickly. Some of the info is also given in a crude, emotionless sort of way. Each grid on the map has certain characteristics to it like elevation, cover, line of site, etc. These traits are represented numerically. Had it been done graphically, the traits would have been easier to understand and would have been recognized faster. Such is the nature of FG: precision over style. Though FG is a turn-based game, each turn is played out in 30 minute game time intervals. Between each turn, you issue orders to your units and your enemy does the same, and then you watch as the 30 game minutes are played out in a few real-time minutes. During this real-time session, you have no control over what happens and must watch as your units move and react to their surroundings. The only downside to this is that you cannot bring up any information about terrain or units. This doesn’t affect gameplay, but it would be nice to be able to see your units’ stats as they enter combat. The extra goodies in FG help prolong its life a bit. There is a two-player multiplayer mode that plays just like single player, except you have to wait on your opponent to issue all his orders and hit the ready button. The other life saver is the scenario editor. There are two modes to this: one is a quick and dirty, “set up a game in two minutes and play it” mode, and the other is a more detailed version that allows you to save your mission and share it with other people online. Flashpoint Germany is a game for hardcore tacticians. If you’re used to the fast paced gameplay of RTS games, this may be a bit too slow paced for your tastes. But if you’re willing to give it a try and stick it out for the long run as you trudge through its various intricacies, Flashpoint Germany may pleasantly surprise you.
-Snow Chainz, GameVortex Communications AKA Andrew Horwitz
Minimum System Requirements: Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP, Pentium II 600 MHz, 16mb Video Card (1024 x 768 or higher), 128 mb RAM, CD-ROM, 16 bit Direct Sound compatible Soundcard, DirectX 7 or higher, 400 MB free Hard Drive Space   Test System: Windows ME, AMD Athlon 1.4 GHz Processor, 256 MB RAM, 128 MB GeForce FX 5200 Video Card, 40 GB Hard Drive, Creative Labs Sound Card, Cable Modem Internet Connetion
The Punisher Suikoden IV