It actually took a fair bit
of effort to find this game. No second hand
version, the Ubersoldier website is dead. Even
two pirated versions wouldn't work. I eventually
merged the two pirated versions into one working
game; albeit with a bug in that the last two
levels had no textures. Getting the game to
run in fullscreen mode also took some playing
around.
Now to the game itself; it
was developed by a Russian developer named Burut.
They would normally be enough to stear well
clear of this game. But I persevered - the screenshots
looked good. The reviewers had panned the game
based on no multiplayer, poor voice acting and
high system requirements.
Yes the voice acting is poor,
very poor! But some poor voice acting is hardly
going to ruin an entire game. If it looks good
and is fun to play, voice acting is pretty low
on the list of what makes a classic gaming experience.
Lack of multiplayer. Does every
single game in existence require multiplayer?
I for one haven't played a game online since
around 1997. Multiplayer does nothing for me.
The system requirements for
Ubersoldier do seem quite high. The loading
times between levels are about ten seconds;
too high in my opinion. However any moderately
priced computer after 2007 should run the game
without any noticeable slowdown or drop in framerates.
It's really just the load times that take a
while.
This game is slightly underrated
and should have got a better rep, because the
gameplay and design is all pretty good. The
weapons are standard WWII fare, but at least
feel powerful and mow down enemies quick enough.
Your enemies are all the same, just with different
weapons. Some can really pack a punch and drop
you fast, however every second enemy drops a
10% healthkit. So while there are some tough
fights, the abundance of ammo and health mean
once you've made it through the tough ones the
pressure is over as your restock.
This isn't to say you can run
in, guns blasting. You still need to carefully
duck around corners to pick enemies off one-by-one.
Overall the game play is fun, although a little
repetitive. Certainly no different from all
your other war shooters.
The gaming engine and level
design are both up to the par for 2006. The
level design is, of course, better than FEAR.
Certainly not amazing or awe-inspiring, but
varied enough with just enough detail to make
each level look decent.
This is just your standard
shooter. The settings are different from the
realism depicted in Call of Duty and Brothers
In Arms. It almost feels more like a modern
sci-fi game rather than 1940s Germany. But if
you need to play every generic first person
shooter, as long as it's fun and looks decent,
then pick up Ubersoldier from the bargain bin.
