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I’m going to be honest with you. My first reaction whenever we’re sent a shooter I
then discover to be an exclusively online shooter...is usually something like, “Sweet
Godzilla f*ck, this is gonna be rough.” Not the game. Just...my performance. And then,
oh, I can hear my teammates on their headsets. Well, I’ll go ahead and mute that.
It’s Special Forces: Team X for the Xbox 360.
You’re not my mom. You can’t yell at me.
So yeah, this is an online thing, which means...if you’re not very good, this is not a game
for you. For me, it’s a bit of a bummer. Because I love everything about Special Forces:
Team X. And I wish there was a campaign mode so I could enjoy those things without being
stabbed in the neck by a guy I didn’t even know was there.
It’s like playing with velociraptors.
My lack of skill aside, though, this really is a cool little shooter. Developed by Zombie
Studios, it takes the old cover-and-shoot template and puts it into the context of online
multiplayer with a specific focus on teamwork. Charging in a la Leroy Jenkins usually gets
you shot in the face in Special Forces. I learned this the hard way.
Maybe I shouldn’t have muted my teammates, huh?
Now, there are five game modes...from the standard team vs. team death matches to capture
point to stuff like the self-explanatory Hot Zone and High Value Target. And the cool thing
is that...the game also supports more than two teams. You can have up to four going at
the same time...which just means I die even faster.
Of course, you can also customize your load out and skill sets, and the game also includes
some really cool weapons. Occasionally, you might stumble across a rocket launcher or
even a chainsaw, which really turn the tide of a battle. You’re trying to be sneaky
and you suddenly hear a freaking chainsaw...to hell with cover.
You just start running! Then someone else shoots you.
But what I really like about the game is its look. Special Forces goes the cel-shaded route
a la Borderlands, and it totally pays off. I mean, I tend to really focus on a game’s
art and aesthetics, and so...my complaint about games like this is that a lot of them
are visually indistinguishable. Special Forces isn’t one of them, and I like that.
In fact, I like almost everything about the game. I’m not the world’s biggest online
shooter guy, but even when I was getting rocked, I was at least having fun. A single player
mode would’ve been nice, but if you have 1200 Microsoft points and you’re looking
to...pwn some n00bs or whatever it is you guys do...here you go.
It’s Special Forces: Team X, a fun—if limited—online shooter.