Korea: Forgotten Conflict (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.0 stars Good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 6.7 (3.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Jason Ocampo
• Reviewed on: 12/12/2003
• Released on: 11/17/2003
• Originally published on GameSpot: Korea: Forgotten Conflict (PC) Review

Korea: Forgotten Conflict takes its name from the fact that the Korean War has always been overshadowed by the two larger struggles that bookend it--World War II and Vietnam. This holds true in gaming as well. While there are plenty of World War II-based games and an emerging number of games about the Vietnam War, very few games have been made about the Korean War. Korea: Forgotten Conflict is the rare exception, and it's an attempt to take the gameplay of the World War II-based Commandos games and transplant it to Korea. Czech developer Plastic Reality makes an admirable effort of it with a beautiful 3D graphics engine, but, unfortunately, the end result is hampered by some frustrating gameplay, poor AI, and bugs.

The gameplay in Korea: Forgotten Conflict could have been lifted straight out of any of the Commandos games, as you're given command of a small squad of five commandos, each of whom has distinct skills and personalities inspired from Hollywood war movies. Think of them as The Dirty Half-Dozen, Minus One. From a bird's-eye point of view, you'll control each of them as they infiltrate enemy territory on a wide variety of missions--from kidnapping Soviet advisers to blowing up a dam to rescuing POWs to covertly stealing enemy plans. Success depends on timing and precision, in addition to a great bit of luck.

The game's 12 massive levels are gorgeous and showcase environments that include the gutted streets of Seoul, underground bunkers, a giant river dam, and a prisoner-of-war camp. Each level packs an impressive amount of detail, and there's a wide range of interaction in each environment. One of our favorite moments came when the commandos dug up an enemy minefield and repositioned the mines into the path of the enemy. When you need to get around the map quickly, you can jump into a number of drivable vehicles, including jeeps, trucks, and tanks. Quite often, the Korean member of your team can steal an enemy uniform and drive a truck past a checkpoint while the rest of the squad hides in the back.

In copying the Commandos formula so thoroughly, Korea also inherits many of the same problems. While you're given a certain amount of open-endedness in how to accomplish your mission, there are also plenty of moments when the designers force you to jump through hoops. For instance, it's not enough that you can commandeer any number of enemy trucks on one map. To escape, you have to commandeer a specific truck that's surrounded by guards. There's no good reason for this other than to put yet another obstacle in front of you. Then there's the genre-wide contrivance that each commando has a unique ability that only he can use. So only the engineer can plant explosives, and only the medic can use the tranquilizer needle to knock out officers. It's an annoying gameplay mechanic because these squad members have to be shepherded along just so you can put them in places where they can use their special abilities.

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