Full Spectrum Warrior, the US Army squad-level X-Box training aid set to be published by Los Angeles publisher THQ, was previewed for the public at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Exposition, May 13-16. The definitive gamers’ conference, this year’s “E3” drew more than 62,000 industry and game enthusiasts from over 80 countries.
Recognizing achievement in game development and production, the “Game Critics Best of E3 2003”, with judges drawn from leading game industry publications, is the definitive score card for this community.
ICT is proud to report that our new Army training aid, “Full Spectrum Warrior”, won in two categories:
- Best Original Game
- Best Simulation Game
Additionally, “Full Spectrum Warrior” was the most-nominated title at E3 this year:
- Best Original Game
- Best Console Game
- Best Simulation Game
- Best of Show
Here’s what the critics had to say:
“Full Spectrum Warrior’s could be called many things: A dark horse, a sleeper hit, a hidden gem. But we will settle for saying that this military simulation game was the best original title at E3. Watching the demo, you felt like a reporter embedded with a US Army division as it maneuvered through a fictional Middle Eastern location. That level of realism isn’t surprising, given that the game was conceived as a training simulator for the US Army. (The troops get to start playing this July). Besides its stunning realism—just watch the tree branches sway as your chopper lands—Full Spectrum Warrior stands out because of its rich squad-based gameplay. Players control a light infantry squad of nine and guide troops through threatening city streets using an intuitive point-and-click interface. Ultimately, even though E3 was filled with sequels and licensed games, Full Spectrum Warrior proves that a well-executed original game can break through the clutter. Somewhere, an independent game developer is cheering.”
– Geoff Keighley, Associate Chairman, Game Critics Awards
Contributing Writer, Business 2.0
“When a game publisher throws an exclusive rooftop party at E3 for just one game, you can expect something extraordinary. This was exactly the case at E3 2003, where THQ debuted Pandemic’s Full Spectrum Warrior. Lucky attendees were introduced to a game initially created for US Army training purposes, which was subsequently acquired for commercial release by THQ. Gamers use real-life Army tactics and play the part of a squad leader in command of two urban combat fire teams. Instead of a first person, Rainbow Six-style perspective on the action, FSW utilizes an incredibly detailed third-person viewpoint to tell its story. Apart from Full Spectrum Warrior’s amazing visual and aural presentation, the two standout elements in the game are its context sensitive AI (which in this case could stand for “Actually Intelligent”) and its revolutionary user interface. Full Spectrum Warrior came into 2003 silently. It won’t leave that way.”
–Victor Lucas, Executive Produder, Electric Playground & Judgment Day
ICT salutes our research team led by Dr. Michael van Lent and our production and development partners: Legless Productions, Pandemic Studios and Sony Imageworks. Congratulations and “hooah”!!