TAKE ARMS (XBLIG): "Like CoD, But Not Quite ..."

If you have ever wondered what Call of Duty would look like in 2D, then Discord Games (the developer) has your answer. Their game which is titled 'Take Arms' uses everything that made the CoD series great, and combines it with level designs that look like the 'Castlevania' style games. This game features both an offline, and online multiplayer that is likely to become a strong point in XBLIG gaming when it catches on. It features three modes of play that made games like CoD shine (Deathmatch, Team DM, CTF). You also get three soldier classes to choose from with their own weapons, and two different costumes (Red, Green). If you've ever enjoyed playing a Call of Duty (CoD) game, and you like indie games as well then I do believe you'll enjoy this game.

The gameplay in 'Take Arms' is quite unique, and yet it's features will be recognizable by most FPS gamers. The control scheme in the game caters to those of you who are familiar with games like the CoD series, or any other FPS (First Person Shooters) out there. The offline/solo mode in 'Take Arms' has a lot of options/settings you can tweak for the different game types (Deathmatch, Team DM, CTF). The game types themselves follow the same rules as you would find in such a game as Call of Duty, but the only difference is that it's all in 2D. Don't let this scare you off though. I have played a few hours of the offline/solo mode, and it was truly an enjoyable experience. Unfortunately I have yet to find anyone playing online, but I hope players will start joining in soon.

I mentioned previously that there were 3 maps, and 3 character classes to choose from for each mode of play. The three maps include a train yard, bridge, and complex. Each of these maps include features that you can hide behind, high places for sniping better, and underground tunnels. The layouts are definitely reminiscent of games like Castlevania. The three soldier classes that I mentioned include Striker (Sniper), Grunt, and Destroyer. Each soldier class features two different outfits (Green, Red). These variations in colors also play a role in the team based modes. The 3 different soldier classes also have different primary, and secondary weapons like in the CoD (Call of Duty) series. The 'Striker' class has a sniper rifle, and an automatic pistol. The 'Grunt' class has a 3 round burst rifle, and a handgun. The 'Destroyer' class has an LMG type of machine gun as well as a Python type of pistol. Nearly all of the guns in the game feature a laser sight for easier aiming, but the sniper rifle doesn't include this feature. The reason for this is that the sniper rifle is meant to be used in a scope style view (but it can be used like the other guns as well). All of the soldiers in the game can also use melee attacks which I thought was cool. This definitely helps in close quarter battles.

As you play 'Take Arms' you'll discover that your soldier has hit points/life (+100). Once these hit points are depleted from gunfire, grenades, or even falling the soldier will die. After your soldier dies he will spawn again somewhere else on the map. You can pick up 'packs' from fallen soldiers in the game that will replenish your ammo supply (guns, grenades), and even replenish your health. Game stats are also a huge part of this game, and include things that are much like the latest CoD series. The stats include kill/death ratios, win percent, rank (with symbol), XP, acurracy, time played, flags captured, and even packs collected. The stats are different for both online, and offline modes. If you want a good rank online you'll have to earn it there, and it's the same with offline mode. Take Arm's settings are fairly detailed as well. In Solo mode's settings you can set the map (Bridge, Complex, Trainyard), the score limit (10-100), the time limit (none-20:00), bots (0-7), and even the skill (random, easy, medium, hard). It's also pretty much the same in the online mode except skill levels aren't included.

I found 'Take Arms' to be a very fun, and easily accessible game. If you've ever played Call of Duty, and games like Castlevania then you should be able to pick up on this game really easy. I'm hoping that the online picks up soon ,because I'd really love to play it. Unfortunately I wasn't able to test it out before this review due to the lack of online gamers though. I can see this game becoming quite popular in the XBLIG gaming community, and I definitely think it's worth the points.

CONTROLS


Y - Switch Weapon
X - Reload
A - Jump
B - Melee
Left Trigger - Crouch
Left Thumbstick - Movement
Right Trigger - Fire
Right Bumper - Toss Grenade
Right Thumbstick - *PRESS* Scope View/Aiming