Tactical shooters have always been pared down when ported from PCs to consoles. I still remember the first time I loaded up Rogue Spear on the PlayStation after spending the better part of a year playing it on the PC, only to be shocked at just how much of the depth had been excised in the translation. It's almost 10 years later, however, and the bar has been raised on both the PC and console fronts for the genre, so what's the state of play?
These kinds of games haven't diminished in popularity one iota since they got their start. They change settings and themes practically with the change of seasons, moving from World War II to police operations to anti-terrorism to the conflicts in the Middle East, but their popularity never wanes. However, a different coat of paint a new game does not make. You gotta change it up, which is what the Full Spectrum Warrior franchise set out to do in the first place.
Ten Hammers looks to improve upon the original, which was recognized for its indirect approach to squad commanding. This sequel adds various abilities, like splitting fireteams for better flanking, issuing orders to teams without having to switch to them, and adding more hardware in the form of controllable vehicles such as tanks. However, like everything else in this series, "controllable" is a relative term.
You get a little closer to being part of the experience by having new class-specific functions like sniping with the rifleman, shooting RPGs at specific targets, or directing suppressing fire with your heavy support guy. Still, it's more of a "cover this general area" approach than spot-on marksmanship. It works well for the general limitations of console FPS controls (nothing beats a keyboard and mouse here), but still keeps you at least one layer away from being in direct control of anything.
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