Field Commander PSP review

I've been getting rather fed up of PSP releases of late. The platform seems awash with complete junk and poorly thought out PS2 ports. Then there are the seemingly good games hampered by the awful analog control on the handheld. It's rather refreshing then to a play a worthwhile game on the PSP and one that doesn't have you screaming in frustration at the analog nubbin.

Field Commander takes the tried-and-trusted turn based strategy game and adds enough twists and turns to carve its own rightful place on PSP. You play one of ATLUS' Field Commanders helping your UN-like organization fight against the encroachment of the terrorist group the Shadow Nation. Most of the time this campaign will be taken up with destroying everything on the map but there are the occasional dreaded escort missions.

The Campaign

The single-player campaign features some 30 missions which will take you over 12 hours to complete. The campaign is well presented with numerous detailed briefing screens and voiceovers - though it's a pain seeing the battle map in the briefing and then having to wait for it to reload to start the mission.

The only real problem with the campaign is the simplicity of the AI's strategy. At the tactical level he seems to work very well, making aggressive use of units and putting up quite a fight. Yet you'll rarely see the AI save up resources for the better units, instead seeming to focus on masses of the weaker unit types.

Battle of Evermore

There are plenty of interesting units to command in the game and their use is rather intelligent. Field Commander allows you to place aerial units in the same square as ground units allowing for combined forces attacks towards the same enemy squares. The terrain can be affected too, so tanks can destroy woodland to allow passage where previously only infantry could move.

Units often have different abilities based on their current mode of operation. Submarines are much more deadly while submerged, but use more fuel. Stealth tanks similarly receive an attack bonus while cloaked at the expense of fuel.

The units at your command and their strengths and special abilities are governed by which of the unlockable divisions you are controlling. Divisions feature special powers and a focus on particular units. So for example you may be given command of a division that has a particular focus on aerial units.

Achilles Last Stand

There's enough detail in the strategies and tactics required by Field Commander to make the game a winner. The smallish maps feature cities, factories, seas, rivers, woodland and mountains; all of which effect gameplay.

At the very basic level success comes from destroying enemy units. However this often requires a strategy that takes a long term approach to the goal. Cash is needed to build units, the more cities you can occupy and take over with your grunts - the more disposable income you will have to spend on units.

Daring commanders will launch airborne raids to capture significant enemy positions such as factories. Troops can be loaded on air transports and if you can avoid AA units, it's possible to get behind enemy lines and hamper the Shadow Nation's ability to make war.

No Quarter

The game is not without its faults though. The maps are pretty small and the game itself is often too easy. Strategy veterans won't have too much problem despatching the Shadow Nation. And as previously mentioned, the enemy AI tends to concentrate on plenty of cheap units rather than waiting to build more advanced weaponry.

The enemy AI also tends to ignore opportunities to use the terrain. I've not seen enemy units carve through a forest to open up a new front, whereas I've found that strategy rather useful in my own campaigning. Another problem is that it's often difficult to tell some units apart on the overhead map.

Out on the Tiles

The units themselves do look good from a distance even if identifying them can be confusing. Everything is created in 3D, which allows the camera zooms in for a close-up when units open fire on each other. The construction and presentation of the maps looks good and is rarely confusing, even when looking at units such as submarines which are below the plane of the rest of the vehicles.

The presentation of information on screen is well handled and there's plenty to like about the sound. Obviously turn based games can be rather sparse when it comes to sound effects, but Field commander offers plenty of voice acting and explosions to keep one satisfied.

Trampled Underfoot

The engaging campaign is backed up by plenty of thoughtful multiplayer modes. There's the usual ability to play head to head or online. But there real clever stuff comes when you want to play someone who can't hang about for hours battling it out. Transmission mode is similar in style to playing by email in other strategy games where you make your moves which are uploaded to the server, then these can be retrieved at leisure by your opponent so he can make his moves. And while it can take days to play a match this way, it's a great way of ensuring you get to play through a whole battle.

Overall Field Commander is a neat little game and one of the best new releases available on PSP right now, though I know that's not saying a lot. The turn-based gameplay works surprisingly well on the PSP and the gameplay is easy to pick up and play, but packed with nuances and subtleties that you'll learn over time. Couple with strong presentation and excellent multiplayer modes it's definitely a game worth your time.