well, ive spent the last two evenings leading fireteams alpha and bravo (army light infantry) through the streets and alleys of fictional zekistan, and i have to say... god damn, but this game kicks ass...

mostly, it kicks MY ass... a LOT...

but its still probably the most exciting, action-packed, tension-filled game ive played in a long long time, and i highly recommend it to any of you JA old-timers or silent storm fans... it isnt turn-based like either of those games, but it requires the same kind of tactical thinking employed in them... and in many ways, its a lot harder (and a lot more fulfilling) because youre managing two four-man teams at the same time...

while ive never actually experienced urban close-quarters combat myself, id imagine FSW is about the most accurate simulation of CQB available, ESPECIALLY at the "realistic" level of difficulty... concessions have been made to keep the game a "game", but not many... but the version comissioned by the US army is included with the game, and from what i hear, THAT version makes no compromises whatsoever... no convenient icons over the heads of opfor to indicate whether theyre pinned down or suppressed, no icons for YOUR soldiers indicating whether they are in cover or not against a particular tango, and no slack granted when leaving cover to return fire... poke your head out, and accept the possibility you may pull it back with an air-conditioned helmet...

the missions themselves are heavily scripted, but NOT 100% linear, contrary to reports online... ive replayed the first two missions and the enemy positions DID change... and theres always multiple ways to achieve your objectives, some better than others... if you play like i do, youll have lots of replay time, because i refuse to allow a man to be downed... even though they magically recover if secured and returned to a friendly CASEVAC, i personally consider that too great a concession to "playability" so i start over...

if you like tactical strategy games i can almost guarantee youll love it, but be aware that this is NOT a run-and-gun game, NOT a first-person shooter, NOT socom or rainbow six... you never directly control a soldier, you cant drive tanks/bradleys/cars/etc... you CANT fly an airplane or helicopter... soldiers can and will die from a single bullet if it was well placed... and you can and will die from friendly fire if you arent very careful (i lose FAR more men to friendly fire than i do to opfor)... this is an INFANTRY sim, so be prepared to pound ground, flank, and grenade, over and over... and be prepared to wet yourself when you run into armor, because those coaxial machine guns turn gi joe into hamburger every time...

anyhow i heartily recommend it... and remember, above all, SMOKE IS YOUR VERY BEST FRIEND! :)