One of the things that makes Special Forces: Team X stand out from other third person shooters is it’s cel-shaded, Borderlands-esque art style. Special Forces Team X tries to bring its players a casual experience, but ends up giving most a frustrating time.
Special Forces Team X has a split personality; sometimes it makes me want to play cautiously, and other times I want to run around with a chainsaw over my head. Special Forces Team X encourages teamwork and careful movement; but at the same time, lets people run around with Assault Dogs, Chainsaws and Miniguns. No matter how I played, I would always get destroyed by someone playing the opposite style. I don’t mean to sound like a sore loser, but there’s a difference between a problem with the game and with the way I’m playing. If I were to play Ghost Recon Online or Battlefield Heroes, two games that I’m really bad at playing, my reaction is much different. The cautious approach that works well in Ghost Recon Online and the casual, carefree attitude in Battlefield Heroes are both play styles that can be used in Special Forces Team X.
When I die often in Ghost Recon Online, I know that I screwed up somewhere and my opponent is just better than I am. I’ll die often in Battlefield Heroes, but I won’t mind as much because I’m not as invested in it as I would be if I was playing Battlefield 3. Special Forces Team X is different in that I’ll get killed over and over again by someone who isn’t trying. When I don’t play hard, I still get wiped out because there are a few who are playing really well, and I’ll wonder why playing cautiously works for them and not for me. No matter how I try to play it, I always get wiped out by someone who will use all their grenades to push me out of cover while sending out attack dogs. However, their ability to play well might not be caused by just their skill.
The progression in Special Forces Team X is set up in a way that all the long time players get the good stuff while the beginners get crappy weapons. In my first few matches, I found myself outgunned at every encounter. People with BW15s, the penultimate weapon to unlock, filled the matches when I was left to fight with a weapon that has the worst recoil in the game. The difference in recoil matters because the cover system doesn’t fully work; I’ll put my character “in cover” but my foot will hang out and the enemy will kill me because of that. They won’t kill me because they’ve got a better position to attack me; they’d kill me even if I was sitting directly across from them. It’s fundamental problems like the progression and the cover system that add to the frustration I have with Special Forces Team X.
My first few days of playing consisted of me starting up the game and closing it three minutes later because there weren’t any players. Granted, the emptiness might have been the result of a bug restricting multiplayer games to be regional matches only. In any case, that change has been corrected and now there are usually two servers that are populated. The number of people playing might be a little skewed; however, I joined a group that does events on Special Forces Team X and reminds me to play it occasionally.
I’ll give Microprose credit, without these events, I don’t think people would play regularly. Even when those two matches are in full swing, the multiplayer always seems to die out a couple hours later. On a normal night, one match is almost always full and the other match is usually about half that. In the full match, one side always seems to win with lopsided victories. The losing team gradually leaves and joins the other smaller match; however, some will just end up rage-quitting. The “full” match slows down from a bustling 8 vs 8 to a 6 vs 6 then a 4 vs 4, and finally, everyone tries to get into the “half full” match. Over time, the amount of people playing slows down to a 4 vs 4 and then the multiplayer dies out for the day. I’ve seen this phenomenon happen every time.
Is It Worth Your Money?
Unless Microprose finds some way to bring the multiplayer back from the dead, this game isn’t worth the $14.99 price point. As a multiplayer game, it needs people playing it and some of the only times I was able to play with other people was when the group had an event going on. A dead multiplayer might be one of Special Forces Team X’s bigger problems, but it also has fundamental problems that include its progression and cover system. Special Forces Team X definitely looks interesting, but has some huge design flaws and struggles with a dead multiplayer.
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