Red Orchestra 2: Rising Storm Preview

"Holy Hell I don't remember this being so hard". This was my predominating thought whilst playing the beta for upcoming WWII FPS Rising Storm, a Pacific Theatre standalone expansion for Red Orchestra 2 (RO2). Just like it's predecessor, Rising Storm is absolutely punishing, but because of this it's as close to real life combat as you'll find in any multiplayer shooter on the market.

It's important to note that while the Steam page might suggest otherwise, this is more of an expansion to RO2 rather than a full game. The war torn streets of Russia have been replaced with the beaches of the South Pacific and all the madness that goes with it. However, you'd be wrong to think that this is a bad thing; if anything this is a brilliant move by Tripwire Interactive that brings a lovely reminder of the earlier days of PC gaming when expansion packs still ruled. Interestingly, the game has been created by a union of sorts between the Red Orchestra modding community and the original game's developers. This ultimately means that you'll find some very well balanced and fun maps designed by those who really know how to play the game.

Let's take a step back, however, and consider the fact that Rising Storm, with its somewhat 'on trend' setting, is likely to attract a lot of new players into the RO2 world. Rising Storm offers a very different FPS to the more popular modern games like Call of Duty and Battlefield 3. No super soldiers, no bullet sponges and certainly no Nazi zombies. This is about battle realism; one hit kill, minimal or no HUD, extremely tactical realism. For new players the pure ferocity of the game mechanics is very difficult to adjust to. We've been conditioned as gamers to lunge into the fray careless of life and limb. Rising Storm will teach you to scrap that logic as you learn the value of cover, suppression and teamwork. Once you get to grips with it all, though, this can be one of the best platforms to get your shooter fix. It's tirelessly addictive, wonderfully exciting and frustrating (depending on how you're doing) and, for those who are interested, historically accurate to a beautiful degree.

So that's Rising Storm (and therefore RO2) in a nutshell. Hard, but really fun. For those who've already been pulled into the Eastern Front setting, then Rising Storm is essentially an evolution of the same concept. There's a lot of new content to get stuck in to, though. The first is the array of new maps all based on real life Pacific Theatre battles like Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. The beta that's currently open for those who pre-order on Steam contains a decent selection of beach assaults, night time jungle fights and city scraps all available to play from the off. There's also a host of new weapons to get used to; the Japanese hand mortar is a particularly intriguing weapon which can be used to rain death down on American troops.

Even in Beta the level of detail is greatly satisfying for those with an interest in WWII. What's instantly noticeable is how the developers have been inspired by HBO's The Pacific, a few of the maps look like they've been taken straight from the series. Of course, this is a testament to the historical accuracy of both of these media products; the Pacific Theatre itself was very well documented so it's a little easier to get that 'close to reality' feel.

The changes made for Rising Storm are more than just cosmetic, however, as some key changes have been made to the gameplay mechanics. Chief of these is the move away from symmetrical teams, a crucial factor in most online shooters that Tripwire feel doesn't reflect the reality of combat in the Pacific. The simple fact that most Japanese soldiers were armed with primitive bolt-action rifles while the Americans had Thompsons, flamethrowers and BARs is enough to cause a huge imbalance. Rather than twisting history, the developers have looked to elements of combat that aren't typically covered in video games. When playing as the Japanese, for instance, not only are you more difficult to suppress but you can also use a banzai ability which sends you charging at the enemy, suppressing them and increasing your bullet resistance. Plus, if you're killed whilst Banzai charging then you're death doesn't add to the spawn token countdown.

There's something about the Pacific Theatre that just works for this kind of game. The one side attacking, the other defending style plays out brilliantly in landscapes that are great to both set up fierce defensive lines, and launch terrifying charges. The good balance of cover and open space is also a subtle but highly effective feature that allows players to really think about the path they take through the map. Of course, this is all still in beta, so fine tuning is still to be done in time for the full release this summer.

Brilliantly, those who purchase Rising Storm from Steam will also be buying the full version of Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad. Obviously, a large majority of buyers will already own RO2 but it's a great incentive for those who want to try it out for the first time. As mentioned, Tripwire have yet to announce a single release date opting instead for the broader 'summer' release window. I'd expect it to be out very soon, considering the already stellar beta. Be sure to check back here at GameGrin for a full review once the game is released.