September 2002

Stealth Action

Single / Multiplayer co-op

SCi (UK) / Gotham Games (Take2) (US)

conflict.com

Fans of Andy McNab's charming Gulf War novels should love this PS2 action title. Pivotal Games' first PS2 title is to be Conflict: Desert Storm, a fast-paced combat sim based on events in the infamous Middle East conflict, with heavy emphasis on stealth and infiltrating enemy positions. Jim Bambra, Managing Director at Pivotal explained exclusively to OPS2 how the strategy and action game will work. "You'll command four Special Forces soldiers and so will have lots of tactical options - from where to set up the sniper's ambush point to how best to sneak past an enemy guard." Players get the chance to use a cache of army weaponry ranging from knives and heavy machine guns all the way up to cruise missiles, says the enthusiastic Bambra. There'll also be opportunities to commandeer different vehicles and the AI is being finely tuned so your team of soldiers react realistically in battle situations. The scale of the game is huge, with the third-person 3D engine creating an impressive draw distance in all directions bringing to life ear-cracking explosions and realistic character movement.

Bath-based Pivotal was previously called Pumpkin Studios - the team was behind the PSOne game Warzone 2100 and worked for Eidos on Saboteur, before taking on its new name earlier this year. Publisher SCi recently acquired a 10% stake in the developer and the two companies are now working together on a game based on the classic Steve McQueen film, The Great Escape. This will use the same technology Bambra and his team have utilised on their Gulf War epic. The only disappointing news is that gamers with itchy trigger fingers will have to wait until spring 2002 when Conflict: Desert Storm is planned to make its gung-ho PlayStation 2 debut.