14 DAY TRIAL // Well, the future definitely ain't all it should be. During the '90s, there was a whole frenzy of "how the world would be in the 21st century?". Well, we are now in the said century and not much has changed for the better. Amongst other things, fossil fuels are getting more expensive and rarer. Frontlines: Fuel of War is a game that aims to portray a (not-too-distant) future where the need for energy drives people to war.
Kaos Studios, former Trauma, developers of the highly acclaimed Desert Combat mod for Battlefield have set out to deliver a realistic portrayal of the wars of the future. The near future, that is, no more than 17 years from now. Their game aims to do away with the corridor-like levels of current shooters and let the player battle his way, in whatever manner he wishes, to certain objectives that, once completed, will move forward the frontline featured in the game's name and open up new objectives.
War chances in the future. As the Read Star Coalition of Russia and China and the Western Alliance of the USA and the EU go to war, new toys will be available to the player. Frontlines introduces drones, which are remote-controlled helicopters and vehicles that can perform a variety of roles. They can be driven into an enemy to directly kill him, they can destroy buildings or snipe at player-created defenses. Of course, these little toys can only do so much and the player needs to get his hands dirty and get into the fight himself. There's a variety of combat roles available and a multitude of vehicles, more than 60 apparently, that can be employed to capture and hold strategic points. During play, levels are earned which unlock even more tactical abilities, like gunship support of carpet bombing.
The meat of the game seems to be its impressive multiplayer support. THQ, the publisher, says it already has a map that can support 50 players on the Xbox and 64 players on the PC. Further maps will get the maximum player number increased after the game rolls out. So, be on the lookout on February 29, when Frontlines; Fuel of War will be released.