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Frontlines: Fuel of War is one realistic scenario depicted in this new PC game from Kaos Studios. The year is 2024 and the future seems hopelessly bleak as the world powers are embroiled in a global conflict because of an energy crisis. Gas and oil supplies dwindle, prompting a mad scuffle between major powers to establish control over the remaining stashes of fossil fuel. The main players are the Western Coalition, formed by the United States and the European Union, and the Red Star Alliance, consisting of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China. Certainly, the problem of diminishing fuel supplies is one problem which is rooted in current-day context.

This is a First-Person Shooter (FPS) and in my opinion, all FPS should belong solely to the PC, thus this review would be focused on the PC version and not the Xbox 360 one. The main defining characteristic of Frontlines is the presence of a ‘frontline’ in combat (no pun intended). The player assumes control of a trooper on either faction and takes part in an entire series of battles in the single player campaign. Players have to perform various tasks to advance their own frontline, including things like capturing satellites or detonating enemy structures. The game makes use of the famed Unreal 3 Engine to produce some spectacular combat effects and display.

Apart from the usual arsenal of weaponry likes rifles and machineguns, Frontlines stand out from other FPS like Call Of Duty 4 because of the presence of remote-controlled drones. These drones are machines that can be controlled remotely by the player’s character and can be used to scout enemy territory or even carry out an assault mounted on their own. These drones offer more gameplay dimension to this FPS as this is no longer about running straight into enemy lines with guns ablazing. Tactics come into play more than ever, and players will find themselves performing flanking maneuvers and so on.

The biggest rant that I have about Frontlines is how the storyline is restricted by the single player campaign. Every mission, although the backdrop is different, is similar as players will be deployed on the frontline to establish control over territory by overrunning the enemy forces. Doing this repeatedly really decreases the longevity of the game a significant bit. Furthermore, the AI allies are decent but of course, AI being AI, they often make use of the same old tactics and moves over and over. This gets monotonous after some times.

This game, however, really shines on multiplayer mode. With up to 50 players on a single map, it is tremendous fun especially when you’re hooked up together on TeamSpeak or Ventrilo. Players now have the freedom to dictate tactics and strategies on the spot to counter the opponents’ advances. In this aspect, the usage of drones becomes all the more important as reconnaissance is now of paramount importance.

Although this is a decent FPS, I can foresee many not liking this game due to its repetitive nature of missions. The array of weapons and vehicles available for use seems large, but people do get bored doing the same old thing even with new tools. Adding more depth in the single player campaign might put Frontlines: Fuel of War in contention with powerhouses like Call Of Duty 4. Right now, Frontlines is nowhere near the standard of these ‘Game of the Year’ nominees.

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