Special Forces: Team X Review

Special Forces: Team X is a team centered, cover-based multiplayer TPS game that blends the visual splendor of titles such as Team Fortress with core mechanics and progression from popular FPS franchises. Players can participate in intense PvP based matches that can host between 2-4 teams in 5 unique game modes. Unlike typical TPS games that reward the run-and-gun lone-wolf style, Special Forces: Team X rewards teams that communicate and devise strategies as a group.

Despite its cell-shaded appearance Special Forces: Team X is not for the fainthearted. Over the top blood and gore, the loss of ones limbs and complete decapitations are a regular occurrence in Special Forces: Team X. However, the shooting genre is dominated by Call of Duty and Battlefield, and online fans have the explosive PlanetSide 2 to keep them company; is there room for Special Forces: Team X or is it another dull take on a staling genre?

Special Forces: Team X Review

Special Forces: Team X presents itself in a similar way to other popular shooting titles of today. It’s a lobby-based TPS title that offers intense stat tracking, an exciting variety of customization options and strong support for achievements. Upon loading the game you’ll immediately notice the unique graphics, borrowing the cell-shaded approach from titles like Borderlands and mixing it with intense colors as seen in Team Fortress 2. Players that crave intense detail and realistic visuals may feel a little uncomfortable but the art style does a great job of complimenting the fast-paced game play.

One of the more appealing features of the game play in Special Forces: Team X is the customization. Sadly it does take some time to experience the full extent of the customization system as it is level based and players are only given very basic access at level 1; mainly just the choice of different camo. However, as you level you’ll unlock various items that include everything from primary weapons to individual costume pieces and new abilities.

The weapons work in a familiar fashion, growing in power and accuracy as the levels progress. Shotguns, Sniper Rifles and Assault Rifles are all available and there’s a good variation of each on display. Each weapon can also be customized with different attachments such as new muzzles, scopes and better magazines.

Appearance customization also boasts quite an exciting selection of choices. Players are able to unlock and equip 6 different pieces of appearance altering items, ranging from hats and sunglasses to new pants and body vests. Although the variety is good it does take quite some time before you feel you’re unique among your team mates, but the choices are there for players dedicated enough to seek them out.

The abilities and equipment are the customization areas that really excel as unique features in Special Forces: Team X. The usual suspects are on show such as Stun & Frag Grenades, but there’s also a few unique options in the form of Attack Dogs. Similar to Call of Duty, Attack Dogs search out your opponents and rip them to pieces, when they work that is. The dogs are currently victims of severe pathing issues and quite often just run endlessly into a wall or freeze on the spot, but it’s not an impossible issue to fix so there could quite possibly be a patch to address this issue soon.

The abilities are the final area of customization and they’re a large staple of the mechanics used to reward and encourage team play and communication. When activated active abilities benefit team members in a radius around your soldier, providing them with various buffs such as increased endurance or accuracy. A well organized team can use these abilities in quick succession, providing a heavy advantage over a team that simply enters the combat zone.

Outside of the customization features Special Forces: Team X boasts an exciting array of additional assets. Players can accomplish various feats during game play, such as a certain amount of head-shots or a triple kill, each of which provides a boost to exp at the end of the round. There’s also an extensive list of achievements available, plenty to boost your score on your platform of choice.

Despite offering a plethora of exciting features there’s one aspect of Special Forces: Team X that the game could not do without, the cover system. I quite often find that other games boasting a streamlined cover system completely fail in terms of design, making it clunky and totally against the natural flow of movement required to enjoy an TPS game. However, I’m delighted to say that Special Forces: Team X is not one of these titles. The cover system is fluid and effortless; only taking me a few rounds before I was gliding from cover to cover and avoiding enemy fire. Check the video above for the full low-down of the cover system.

In true TPS fashion Special Forces: Team X offers a variety of different game modes but what truly makes it stand out is the map system. Unlike other games that provide 1 map per game, Special Forces: Team X offers a mixture of three different match types chosen by the players. In the lobby before every match each member of the game is able to vote on three different map sections, each representing one third of the final map. This creates over 100 different possible map variations, quite an impressive boast for a genre of game that’s lucky to see more than ten maps without DLC. Although innovative and great for short periods, the feeling of each map is lost a little with the blending of the various zones. They blend together perfectly in terms of providing multiple access points and routes but they lack individual flair in terms of appearance design.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed many aspects on offer in Special Forces: Team X, there was one severe problem that hindered my enjoyment; the lack of a player base. I have played some terrible games on Steam in my time but I rarely see a strong title with such little public support. When I first logged in there was only one active game and it was full. Waiting to join a server is not really something you expect in a modern, lobby-based TPS game but it’s common enough to make it worth noting.

I think one of the biggest attributing factors to the lack of player base is the reviews. Some big names have taken a look at the game however, I do not feel their scores are justified. Many have complained about the spawning system in Special Forces: Team X, provoking players into immediate combat within seconds of spawning. Although it’s quite frustrating at times, this is an issue that has plagued the majority of shooting titles since the dawn of multiplayer, and doesn’t usually impact the review scores of titles like Call of Duty. Players familiar with core mechanics of an FPS title won’t feel the spawning is worse than the norm.