Return Fire 2 (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 4.0 stars Excellent
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 8.1 (4.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Chris Gregson
• Reviewed on: 10/09/1998
• Updated on: 05/05/2000
• Released on: 08/31/1998

Have you ever heard of Baron R. K. Von Wolfsheild, the creator and designer of Return Fire 2? I didn't think so, and to be honest I have my doubts as to whether a person with that name really exists or not. But if Return Fire 2 catches on like I suspect it will, then Baron von Wolfshield might just become a household name - at least for PC gamers who are looking for a nearly perfect combination of action and strategy topped off with some pretty serious pyrotechnics.

Return Fire 2 doesn't waste time with a complicated story; all you know is that you're at war because the "enemy" has your flag and you want it back - now. There's no resource gathering or unit construction to worry about: Any buildings that are destroyed are gone for good, and you have a limited supply of up to six different units that you can hop in and control, one at a time. At various points during play you'll drive a tank, a minelayer equipped with heat-seeking missiles (called an ASV, or Armored Support Vehicle), a jeep (the sole land-based unit that can pick up and carry a flag), a jet (sort of like a Harrier), a helicopter (with rockets and machine guns), and even a PT boat (equipped with the heaviest weapon at your disposal).

Obliterating the enemy's offensive units, defensive fortifications, and various buildings is of course rewarding and results in extra medals and commendations, but it's not necessary to emerge victorious. All that's required is that you grab the enemy's flag and get it back to your base - which means it's possible (though highly unlikely) to win a battle without every encountering an enemy vehicle.

You begin each battle in an underground bunker, where you're shown a list of all available unit types and how many of each you've been allotted, along with a tiny radar map that gives you a general idea where your opponent's base and other structures are located. Choose a land-based vehicle, and a lift will take you to the surface; choose an air or sea unit, and you'll take off from an aircraft carrier that's slowly circling the island (a convention that means all battles take place on an island or group of islands).

Flags are kept inside heavily guarded Flag Towers, which are easy to spot because of their pyramidal shape. Bringing down a Flag Tower isn't all that difficult - a single bomb from the jet cracks one open in an instant - but the presence of decoy Flag Towers on all but the smallest maps complicates the discovery process considerably. Because the only way to retrieve a flag is in the nearly defenseless jeep, you've got to do a lot more than simply expose the flag. You also have to knock out enemy missile or gun turrets that could fire on you as you try to claim the prize you so desperately seek.

Control is always a potential problem in a game that puts you in a wide variety of units, but Return Fire 2 handles it about as well as can be expected by keeping things as simple as possible. It's practically impossible to crash the jet, for instance, and the lack of a rotating turret reduces the art of tank warfare to head-on attacks. After a few outings in each unit, though, you'll learn to accept the quirks of each unit and instead begin concentrating on determining the best strategy for finding and retrieving the flag.

It sounds like pretty light fare, but in truth Return Fire 2 is an amazingly deep game even in its single-player mode. Facing an aggressive enemy, you might opt for a defensive stance where you combine the firepower of a tank or ASV with the gun and missile turrets protecting your Flag Tower, base, or other installations. If you feel like taking it to the enemy but find yourself being shot to ribbons before you can close to an effective range, you can man the PT boat and start dropping heavy shells on enemy gun emplacements. Discovered that the enemy has exposed your flag? Then lay mines around it, or try blowing up a vital bridge to force him to use his jeep in its much slower amphibious mode as you hop in your own jeep and move the flag to a safe location. And because the jeep is the only vehicle that can retrieve a flag, you might focus on destroying enemy jeeps until you're sure your flag is safe.

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