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Developer
Wide Games
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Publisher
Codemaster
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Genre
Third Person Adventure
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Anticipation
High
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Prisoner of War delivers a whole new twist to the regular hand full of "Kill the Nazi" World War 2 games. Come get all the info in our detailed preview!
Developed by Wide Games, Prisoner of War brings a new perspective to the World War 2 video games trend. Other titles of the same style, like Battlefield 1942 and Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, make gamers go on "Nazi killing" sprees to save the world from the Second World War. Prisoner of War brings something innovative to that drift. Instead of defeating forces using powerful weapons, the player must outsmart the enemy by using bravery and stealth to escape heavily guarded concentration camps.
Prisoner of War is an intense 3rd person stealth adventure game set during the overwhelming years of World War 2. Unlike other games in its genre, Wide Games' upcoming title doesn't rely on extremely advanced weaponry. Guns are only a force used by the opposition. Anything made available to the prisoners therefore becomes a weapon for escape. Stones are a vital part of getting away, and using them to their full capacity is up to the player. Learning the environment and using every single object at disposal is the only technique to get away from the enormous German army.
Wide Games has created a very deep storyline to match the game's atmosphere. The prequel almost sounds like a movie. The main character in Prisoner of War is 32 year old American Flight Captain Lewis Stone. He is a man of few words who hates the idea of authority figures. While on a confidential reconnaissance operation for Allied intelligence, Captain Lewis Stone and his co-pilot Lieutenant James Daly are shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire. Both manage to free themselves before the explosion but end up falling right into the hands of highly powered German Nazi forces. The player's mission begins from behind gates, in the shoes of no one other then Lewis Stone...
Once inside the Nazi prison camp, Lewis Stone meets several inmates from around the world, including co-pilot and best friend James Daly. The duo plans out an intense escape tactic, involving German theft, as well as extremely stealthy action. But from there on out, it not only becomes a getaway operation, but also a fight against time. While undergoing regular duties as a prisoner, Stone stumbles upon German blueprints for a new weapon of mass destruction, one that could change the entire World War 2 outcome. Remembering his duty as part of American army personnel, Stone makes informing the world and destroying the German plans his new project, one where he must come out victorious at all costs.
Throughout his mission, Stone takes benefit of everything his environment has to offer. He'll do anything to escape prison, and that means stealing vehicles, demolishing high tech equipment, planning out more escape routes, calling in Allied bombers and even disguising as a German guard are nothing short of realistic. Prison inmates are also a great help, even though it is sure to cost some money at times, their help is truly priceless. Together, as a team, their chance for a successful getaway is much better.
One thing that makes Prisoner of War stand out from the large crowd of army games is its elevated degree of interaction. Captain Stone has the ability to converse with anyone he meets, pick up and drop objects, climb fences and walls, crouch, crawl, cloak along ledges, peek around corners, tap on walls to distract guards (Metal Gear Solid trick), throw rocks, and use a telescope, in addition to the expertise of performing a wide range of special actions with particular objects. Different characters have diverse information to spread, so meeting and interacting with them all is a must. On the whole, the Wide Games development team is aiming at delivering a breathing and living real world atmosphere.
Prisoner of War uses a neat time of day system. It's not real time, so hopping between periods is permitted throughout the course of each day. Night and day have their own distinctive elements, may it be on the visual aspect or the gameplay. During each and every day, prisoners must attend events such as breakfast, exercise time, lunch, dinner and bed time. If the player wants to inspect the eating lounge, it would be best to plan around the daily events. Not every area of the prison is open twenty-four hours a day, which makes building a strategy a must with this title.
The entire game takes Lewis Stone through 3 very sundry concentration camps, including the notorious Colditz Castle, as well as the Stalag Luft, one of the most remembered horror scenes the world has ever seen. Each of the distinctive camps features a living world of their own, modeled to resemble their genuine 1940's counterparts, from the same courtyards, secret passages, narrow hallways and huts that shed home to millions during World War 2.
Graphics have become a large part of this video game generation. Unfortunately, no in-game screenshots have yet to surface the Internet, so it is a bit tough to speculate. Thousands and thousands of polygons make up each character, with a said amount of 2500 simply on the upper body. Advanced facial expressions also make the game that much more realistic. The stadiums themselves are jaw-dropping from what can be seen in the short video clips. Banners, flags, trinitron monitors; everything is there to be noticed. Generally speaking, if Rage can avoid the direct port tag, the graphics shouldn't be much of a problem.
It doesn't seem like the game will have any sort of system link capability, and obviously no Xbox Live support. However, David Beckham Soccer does take advantage of the 4 player Xbox capability. Multiplayer tournaments would be kick ass, and aren't totally out of the question. Who said it was impossible to recreate the FIFA World Cup experience right in the courtesy of one's living room? Certainly not I.
David Beckham Soccer is expected to ship on August 13th of this summer, not too far away. Astonishingly, it seems the game will be sold for only 29.99$ US (that according to the EBGames.com gamepage). No matter the price tag, David Beckham Soccer looks to bring something spicy and addictive to the already massive Xbox sports genre. XboxWeb.com will have a full review of this hopeful soccer title upon its release.
Matt Thomas
Can anyone say Matt Thomas Hockey?
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