May 6, 2005 - You know why you're here soldier, so listen up. You're the best the Confederation has and as a member of the Confederation, you have taken an oath to protect the galaxy from those who are bent on causing it harm. Grab your gun and prepare for the battle of your life. Don't worry, with cloning, we will keep your butt on the battlefield as long as we can afford to. Welcome to the 23rd Special Forces Unit, code name Brute Force.

Brute Force was released shortly after the critically acclaimed Halo. Digital Anvil, in hopes of capturing some the Bungie's success, released this science fiction war game. While it didn't receive as much attention as Halo, it wasn't because of the game itself. In fact, it deserved much more credit than it was given. Many people try to compare the two games, and once again, this game was unfairly treated. Brute Force, unlike Halo, is a team based third person shooter. It doesn't have the cult following that Bungie's title does, but it did have a strong fan base of players who enjoyed the game's multiplayer friendly interface. It was one of the first shooting games that allowed players to join in the action by simply plugging in a controller and pressing start. Because of this, Brute Force actually outperforms Halo in cooperative play. A strong statement, but it is one that should be made, especially to those who have constantly criticized Digital Anvil for this title. Also, keep in mind that Brute Force actually beat out Halo in first week sales, setting the record for early Xbox releases. This only reinforces the fact that Brute Force was a solid and well developed title for the Xbox. Another thing this title did was offer players a glimpse of what Microsoft's system was capable of with solid graphics and sound. This is something many early Xbox titles couldn't accomplish, and the reason why Brute Force was so popular when it was released.

Time has passed since its release and new games have pushed the capabilities of the Xbox to new heights. When many older titles were released at bargain prices, Microsoft decided to do the same thing with two of their early successes. With the release of the Halo/ Brute Force double pack last year, many asked was this game worth the money? Sure it was a hit when it was released, but does Brute Force withstand the test of time? These questions may be hard to answer, especially since there have not been many titles like Brute Force for the Xbox. It shouldn't be difficult however to say that Brute Force was one of the best Xbox titles of its time. It was also the first title to have downloadable content, which helped expand the gameplay experience for many. For this alone, Microsoft Studios should be congratulated for giving players such a solid title, one which initially sparked my interest in the Xbox itself.

Presentation wise, Brute Force is well done. Picking up the box and reading the game's tag line, "Dangerous Alone Deadly Together", helps reel in the curious and eager shoppers. The rest of the box, including screen shots and colour schemes, are professionally developed. The instruction manual is very easy to read, filled with colourful character models and screen shots. Once this game is inserted and the Xbox is turned on, players are shown a well crafted opening movie. As a casual gamer, I do enjoy waiting for the game's opening cinema before pressing start. All in all, presentation for Brute Force gets high marks.

Visuals is one of Brute Force's many strong aspects. While these might not be impressive by today's standards, they blew away early Xbox owners. The character models are very well done. Tex and his gang are very detailed, very life like. For example, characters lips move in synch with the voice acting. Most games don't have this, even the new Phantagram's Kingdom Under Fire: The Crusaders, lacks lip synchronization with English spoken dialogue. For this alone, Microsoft Studios deserves an applause. Another impressive aspect is the textures. While they are considered out of date by many, they still seem to set the benchmark for many Xbox titles. Walking through jungle terrain or even a lava scorched landscape, and players will find that the worlds have a life of their own. With that said, there are also a few weakness that must be mentioned. Following titles like Bungie's Halo 2, gamers expect a lot more out of the environments they interact with. By these standards, Brute Force's environments seem to lack any real sense of ambience, they fail to draw the player in. Also, the character models, by today's standards, seem almost cartoonish in nature. While very detailed and very well done, when comparing them to character models like those in Ubisoft's Price of Persia series, or even their Splinter Cell trilogy, Brute Force's cast seems more like Mickey Mouse then Master Chief. Even with these criticisms, Brute Force remains very pleasing the eyes. That is saying a lot, especially by today's standards.

Audio is another aspect in which Digital Anvil should be applauded for. The sound effects, for their time, were very well done, but do they still hold up against today's standards? Brute Force has a wide array of sound effects. Some are very simplistic stock sounds, like footsteps, or grenades exploding, but some are unique and very interesting. For example, the sounds of Brutus and the Feral Warriors were very well done. The lizard men’s growls and grunts remind players of some of the audio work done for movies like Jurassic Park. Even a few years after its release, Brute Force is still up to par with most new games. The only real issues with sound effects would be the fact that there is not a wide variety of them. For example, most weapon fire sounds the same, which really takes away from the impressive audio of this title. This is very noticeable, especially with the wide array of sound effects available in newer titles.