Joint Task Force

An RTS that not only breaks the drought in the genre, but reflects the current war climate.

If modern warfare has changed dramatically in recent years, then it seems only right that the real time strategy genre -- which draws so heavily upon armed conflicts for inspiration -- should also change.

To Vivendi and HD Interactive’s credit, Joint Task Force has paid close attention to the theatre of modern warfare. JTF is certainly a progression from the likes of the very solid Command and Conquer Generals.

Instead of the classic nation against nation, build-a-base-then-troops then smash-the-opponent–off-the-map style of play, troop numbers are relatively small and limited, forcing a more careful and tactful approach. This mirrors the modern style of armed conflict, in which small units of well trained troops target similar opponents within nations.

Using the games lead characters you can ‘order in’ an air drop of troops and vehicles. These are paid for by allocated funds from the Joint-Task-Force -- more or less based on the ‘coalition of the willing’ currently fighting in Iraq -- another interesting genre progression.

Another interesting angle of the game is its exploration of the military’s relationship with the media. In JTF the media has its own agenda and crossing them will cost you, literally. Kill members of the media or civilians and your funding will drop. Save civilians and destroy the enemy and your funding increases.

Modern political scenarios, like the ‘right’ to a pre-emptive strike on an enemy, are also played out with interesting consequences. Missions based in Iraq, Bosnia, Somalia, Afghanistan and South America also give the game a current touch.

However the game is not perfect. Like Microsoft’s Age of Empires 3, the viewing angle is unsatisfactory; you can neither zoom in, nor zoom out far enough (a problem we’ve taken care of in issue 69 of Atomic), and the choice of panning keys is quite counter-intuitive.

The presences of the lead characters, who can give certain abilities to nearby troops, are more a liability than an advantage. You’ll find that a single tank shell aimed neatly at the feet of your hero can result in an instant level failure -- you learn to leave these guys back at the base. The missions can also be quite frustrating and inconsistent, and the autosave kicks in at odd times.

That said there are some nice details to be had. Smokescreens billow and explosions blast authentically. Soldiers bitch and whinge like only soldiers can. But mostly, the highlights are in the detailed attention JTF pays to wider political concerns -- like the role of the media and the detailed setting -- that make JTF stand out from the crowd.