Modern Combat: Domination Review

First Person Shooters are a very common aspect of the gaming world. Chances are you can name well over 20 of them on your fingers and toes without having to stop and think about it. A nice chunk of those are games that some gamers hold close to their hearts. Battlefield, Bioshock, and Call of Duty are just a few of the shooters that come to mind when you mention the series.

Gameloft, the creators of the Modern Combat series, have released the third entry in their shooter series on the Playstation Network with the hopes that it can stand alongside other heavy-hitting titles and earn its place among the ranks. The first two titles the company made were only found on the iPhone and Android. This is their first attempt at an online FPS game on the home console. Did they hit the target, or did the shot fly wide? Here are the Hots and Nots of Modern Combat:Domination.

HOT

Gameplay Is Solid
When I first saw the $8 price tag on the game i was skeptical of the quality. After downloading and playing it, I admit I severely underestimated Gameloft. The game delivers a great solid performance and manages to pull everything off really well. The controls are solid and responsive, the online gameplay runs smooth as silk, and the loadout system feels like Counter-Strike. In fact this game is almost like a cross between Modern Warfare and Counter-Strike.

There are 6 different game modes that span over 5 maps. This may sound bad at first but the 6 different modes require different strategies and the maps offer different routes and view points that offer enough variety to keep you occupied to the point where you don’t even notice that there are only 5 maps. The 6 game modes are the standards you would expect in a FPS. They include Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Escort, Demolition and Capture.

The weapon loadout system is similar to Counter-Strike. You start out with a simple pistol and $2400 in game dollars to purchase weapons. You only have one weapon to select to start with but as you level up through the first 10 levels you unlock more of the weapons. The best part is that none of the weapons feel extremely overpowered. The game makes sure that no one wields the one gun to rule them all. Snipers and shotguns do have the potential to be one shot weapons but achieving that one shot requires skill. After the initial 10 levels, you will start unlocking different attachment to put on your guns ranging from sights to underbarrel attachments. It’s pretty rewarding to start out with just the standard pistol and earning the kills necessary to get the money to purchase your favorite weapon.

Bots
Both the online mode and offline mode include bots that fill in the empty spots in the room. If you are playing online and the room allows bots, then you can jump into the body of that bot and use his weapons and equipment. This is useful if you are playing a one life type game mode such as demolition and don’t want to rely on the A.I. to win the match for you. In the offline mode, you can set up any game type you want on any map and use the bots as practice. The only downside to this is that the offline mode is unranked so you wont be able to level up meaning whatever equipment you have unlocked is all you can practice with.

$7.99 Price Tag
Not only is this price tag easy on the eyes and the wallet, its also surprising for how much they packed into it. I almost expected a $15 price tag for what I saw. With 72 levels to go through, 6 different game modes, 5 maps, and the ability to play against bots you would expect at least $15. But Gameloft shed some kindness among the users of Playstation and graced us with this awesome title for a fair price.

Graphics And Sound
The game runs at a smooth 720p and looks really good. It has the ability to hold up against some of the bigger titles out there in my opinion. The character and weapon models look good and the animations are smooth. The guns and explosions sound nice and powerful and the footsteps sound as if the soldier or mercenary is carrying a good deal of gear on him. Its definitely not the kind of quality I expected to find in this game to be honest and I’m glad that the devs really worked hard on this game to turn an $8 game into one with the quality of a full priced title.

NOT

Spawning
As awesome as the game is, I did find one fault with it and that was the spawning. In the deathmatch and team deathmatch variants this can sometimes be a problem. The maps are a good size but are small enough to where you may be randomly spawned right in front of where an enemy is hiding. The game claims its looking for a safe spawn point but still places you in harms way.

VERDICT

Overall, Modern Combat:Domination is an extremely fun game that should not be passed up by anyone who loves shooters. At the $7.99 mark you get a good amount of gameplay that is as fun as it is competitive. And the Modern Warfare/Counter-Strike combo mixed in with Gameloft’s own little touch is like a heavenly mix of chocolate and peanut butter that shouldn’t be passed up by gamers. In my opinion, this game has the ability to stand proudly up there with the likes of both of those titles as well as the other big names out there.