Enemy Front Review

Enemy Front is a first person shooter that puts you in the midst of World War II as journalist Robert Hawkins as you team up with the American resistance and do your part in attempting to stop the Nazis over various countries such as France, Germany and Poland. Taking you into battles that you would not have come across in other games Enemy Front tries to engage you with action and stealth; I guess they are trying to get you to make the most of Robert Hawkins investigative skills.

When you’re waiting for Enemy Front to load you’re treated to what arguably could be the most involving loading screens you have ever come across, a camera spans in and out of a war torn battleground which really sets the atmosphere. However that’s the best part of Enemy Front, the loading screens. The rest of Enemy Front unfortunately pales in comparison which is a shame after such a good intro.

Enemy Front is to an extent a linear game; you have an objective that you must reach/complete. However there is usually more than one way of achieving the objective. For example you can go in all guns blazing and see how that goes for you (usually poorly), you can maybe try to be a bit more stealthy and not attack every Nazi you come across or you can go all Nazi ninja and attempt to minimise your contact or at least ensure a Nazi who does see you doesn’t get to enjoy the moment. The terrains you move across whether it’s a war-torn Warsaw or a freezing Norway are large enough for you to reach your target in more than one way, there’s usually multiple routes to your destination. You will find yourself in situations where civilians are about to be killed and you have a choice whether to save them or not, obviously if you try to save them you’ll be spotted by the enemy.

There are frequent pauses in the gameplay that really detract from the gaming experience, you’ll running into a house and there will be a split second delay or you’ll be firing rounds into Nazis only for the screen to freeze again affecting your ability to shoot. Sometimes the enemy will see you, they will run over and stand awkwardly and let you hit them with no retaliation, sometimes they’ll even stop mid-fire for no reason, although the most annoying one is probably when your allies achieve the objective because it stops you from progressing and you need to reload from an earlier checkpoint.

If you fancy some more after finishing the single player campaign then there is a multiplayer available. It includes a basic set up for up to 8 players with 3 different modes that include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Radio Transmission. The first 2 are self-explanatory whilst the latter is a case of controlling radio signals on a map. Like most multiplayer games Enemy Front is fun but at the moment there is a lack of players available. Considering how many kinds of multiplayer modes you would have come across playing the likes of Call of Duty, the amount of modes present in Enemy Front is quite poor even if they are fun. The multiplayer also suffers from the same technical glitches as per the single campaign.

Graphically the loading screens are second to none whilst the in game graphics are above average but frustratingly affected by the issues with collision glitches and soldiers able to shoot through walls. The landscapes are very detailed and engaging although they seem to be inhabited by the same kind of basic Nazi template. The other non-playable characters are reasonable looking and fit in with the scenery. The musical scores are quite involving whilst the dialogue is less so. Your character randomly uses a radio transmitter to tell the war story but he seems to lack the charisma or gravitas to get you to buy into it, it’s a real shame because these are the moments that are meant to fully engage you into the conflict and related issues.

Enemy Front at times comes across as an interesting and involving entry into the FPS genre but it’s let down by too many negative factors to make it an enjoyable game. There are missions and moments which you’ll remember long after you finish playing Enemy Front but they are few and far between and are also clouded by the poor design and unpolished feel. Enemy Front will never be a General of its genre but if you like World War FPS games then give it a go for 5 minutes, you may find something engaging if not mostly frustrating.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Sony Playstation 3 code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.