The demo is out at fileplanet and there are mirrors at filemirrors. Basically, the game puts you in command of two 4 man fire teams (Two rilfemen, an automatic rifleman and a grenadier) from the US army. You give them commands ranging from moving, firing, taking cover, supressing fire, etc. It's based off a tool the US Army uses to train infantry officers.

I played the demo, which includes MOUT Training and a regular level. The training dies a great job of familiarizing you with the controls and the commands and everything you men can do, which is pretty cool. The level has you take on several different objectives: saving a wounded soldier, helping a pinned down squad and elminating a machine gun nest.

The fun in the game is using your two squads to take out enemy locations. Use one to occupy the enmey and use the other to flank, etc.

The atmosphere is also really cool because the soldiers talk durring combat, commenting about being shot at, plus it's full of the kind of languange that you'd expect from soldiers. The vloice acting was solid.

On the downside, the controls are a little sticky, espicailly using the mouse to loccate your curson to move your men. It's easy to click on the wrong location and get your team in a world of ****. Some of the manuevers, like having your team slowing advance with weapons ready is also a little tricky because it requries a combination of holding/clicking mouse buttons at the same time.

The graphics aren't all that spectacular, but they were awfull. Each of the 8 men all look different and have some manner of facial expressions.

So, with all that said, the game looks like it could be pretty fun, especailly if some of the other missions are really tough. If that's the case, it'll make you think about what you are going to do really fast in those combat situations, which would be really cool.

The game, while cool, is way too linear for my tastes. One play through is enough; maybe I'll pick it up in the bargain bin.

I thought the graphics were very good and so were the animations. I also thought the controls also ported very well, my only beef was with the terrible voice acting.

this demo has been out for at least a week another link

It seemed strangely... RPGish, for want of a better word, to me. If you or they had the cover symbol over their head then there was nothing you could do about it, even though you could clearly see them (and easily peg them if it was an FPS).

Yeah, that unrealistic. At least they could leave cover to fire a burst then return. It'd also have been better if there was enemy squad AI, like them trying to flank you and such.

They're working on a sequel. I wonder where the evil fictious totalitarian poverty-stricken nation harbouring international terrorists will be set this time?

The game seems very much like a puzzle game, except that you're lining up covering angles and fire support instead of colourful blocks. It doesn't seem to have much in the way of randomness, e.g. You're always going to get shot in the face if you peek around a corner and there's a tango there, or until the car is completely shot apart, you'll be as safe as can be, even if you aren't hiding behind the engine-block, or brake drums/discs.

It'd be nice if you had other units going about their business too, which would be AI controlled, or that the area would be even less linear, filled with enemy patrols trying to achieve objectives of their own (sneak past, take out support lines, stage amushes, build barricades). In general, the environment just felt very static. You can't even enter buildings, you don't seem to get shot at from anyone inside a building either. You have all the time in the world to rescue the stranded group in the demo, a person who is shot and needs medical attention one second is fine and can be carried around without any permanent damage. I want casualties, urgency, and ferociously active enemies who fight like they really don't want to die today and don't just stand around, waiting to be flanked. I want to have to work real hard to flush them out

I did like how the AI worked pretty independently, not needing baby-sitting, and always leaving one rifleman to cover the rear. Now if only someone'd make X-com like this and add in the highly destructible environments, or if the AI SAS squaddies in H&D2 had the same situational awareness.

Judging by the demo, it's just a neat little puzzle-game. With guns. And f-words.

I hear Brother in Arms is suppose to like this game except you can actually control a soldier in FPS.

Brothers in Arms is going to be awesome. It'll have the same, or better tactical depth than this, but also be in the first eprson perspective. I can't wait.