Free to play is coming to the Xbox 360 in a big way. The revolution started with World of Tanks and continues with Warface. Sticking to more familiar terrain, Warface is a basic first-person shooter. While many comparisons can be made to the big bad Call of Duty, Warface manages to stand tall on its own merits. I would be lying if one of those wasn’t the cheap price, but there’s far more to it.
Warface is a competent shooter that while it manages to look a little dated, still gets the job done. Everything controls just like you’d expect from an FPS. While Warface isn’t falling short when it comes to the controller, it’s pretty lackluster graphically. The game looks more akin to something two generations ago rather than the pinnacle of modern gaming we’ve come to expect from Crytek.
Warface multiplayer has a variety of options, from the bread and butter Team Death Match to stranger entries like co-op capture the base romps. This friendly mode can be fairly fun and even includes a small narrative before you start shooting the cannon fodder. Still it’s a weak mode with a small selection of maps and extremely predictable NPCs. TDM also offers small cosmetic customization to your character, so people who have been playing awhile can distinguish themselves as such without ever paying a dime.
So the big question is do the paying players get an advantage? From what I could tell, not really. You have to put in more work to get different weapons, but since the types don’t vary too much all the paying consumer get is a gun with slightly different stats. On the battlefield this gets even further blurred, as I couldn’t tell who paid and who didn’t. There is a weapon rental system in place which let’s you borrow some good weapons, but the currency is only available from playing co-op. The real-money currency gets far more annoying. The cheapest tier is 400 Kredits for $4.99, much like the Microsoft Points of old. This funny money is all good and dandy, until you realize aside from the cosmetic changes everything is at least 490 Kredits. This may not be a deal-breaker but I found it off-putting to put any money in, knowing I’d have a bit left over.
Warface is a decent shooter in both theory and execution. This won’t change the face of gaming but sometimes sticking to tried-and-true isn’t a bad thing. Obviously as a beta it could use far more work, it’s playable and certainly enjoyable for the gamer on a budget. Unlike other F2Ps there aren’t any timers to wait for or constant pestering to your friends on whatever social media. You just have to pick up your controller, pick up your gun, and put on your Warface.
Warface Xbox 360 Edition Gameplay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvSxMhfv3Uc