America's Army: Rise of a Soldier Critic Reviews

We can think of few shooters that capture so well the dynamics of modern combat. And we can think of even fewer that have managed to stand out with such a unique and compelling approach.

Rise of a Soldier will not appeal to everyone, but if you enjoy realistic shooters and would like a look into the life of an American soldier it is definitely worth your time.

As a recruitement tool first and foremost there was a lot of work put into the simulated gameplay that makes this a game not to be ignored. If you're looking for a realistic military experience this is the closest you're going to get to boot camp without leaving mommy's nest.

Unlike its PC counterpart America's Army also serves up some excellent single-player missions.

One unique aspect is that, much like in the real world, there are no extra lives. Once you're killed, you're dead. The rest of your team will have to make due without you.

A thoroughly impressive package in terms of visual and audio, and is extremely reminiscent of the better Ubisoft shooters.

If you don't notice or mind a light smattering of propaganda, you'll find that Rise of a Soldier is more than a competent shooter, offering a unique feel and spin on first-person shooters.

Its impact is muted rather significantly by the age of the engine, but it still succeeds in being rather unlike anything else released this year.

Despite the dated graphics and AI, the presentation is otherwise quite good, and to top it all off, the game is pretty enjoyable.

The ability to create a soldier, tweaking various elements in both a physical and mental capacity, and then raising him through the ranks is great, but the actual gameplay is hurt by a lack of fluidity.

America's Army: Rise of a Soldier may lack the polish and panache of Ubisoft's other military shooters, but it does hit the marks where it counts – convincing gameplay.

A game of great ideas that aren't executed a well as they should be.

But at the end of the day it's intuitive and makes for a highly playable game. We just wish they'd realized that when they killed the crosshair.

With weak enemy AI and a few so-so missions, the real treat here is how well the game handles true military tactics and the things our fighting men and women have to go through to make it in today's Army.

Not only behind the times, but it's buggy and not very much fun to play.

What would be more perfect to reach out to the youth with a video game? Except that it features dated visuals and ordinary gameplay features.

So it's too bad that the missions themselves suffer major malfunctions. Despite their frantic firefights, they're completely canned, with enemies--and even your allies--going through the same motions every time.

While the CEM, the health system and the squad movement and tactics are great attempts to recreate the true Army experience, and the promise of Xbox Live play may tempt you to come back for more, the graphical glitches and horrible enemy AI downright breaks the game, and frequent encounters with bugs like the non-exploding grenade launcher will leave you scratching your head.

This is the kind of thing that should be handed out by uniformed men in mall parking lots, not sold in stores.