Imagine the act of war as it surrounds the grounds you walked on. What would be your thoughts as the world you knew crumbled around you? Would you try to get to a safer place or stay and fight? But what if you were not going to wait for something to happen, but be part of an elite team that could end it? It starts to get really interesting when you start to think about it and how things could play out. But does developer Smilegate Entertainment give us the hope that we can make a difference with this squad in the crossfire? Let’s find out with Crossfire: Sierra Squad for PlayStation VR2.
Crossfire: Sierra Squad puts you as the leader of an elite paramilitary fireteam within the Global Risk organization facing an unexpected skirmish with the rival Black List organization. Battle a variety of crafty enemies in a relentless search for the truth, and prove why you were selected as the intrepid leader of the most feared special unit in existence – Sierra Squad!
So before you go in searching for the truth and acting like you have nothing to lose, there are some things that you should be aware of. First, you will want to make sure you have at least some arm-length space as you will be shooting, reloading, and throwing explosives and you don’t want to hit anything or anyone. Second, If you are going to play sitting, make sure what you are sitting in is comfortable enough for all the action that you will be experiencing. Third, make sure those Sense controllers are fully charged. You don’t want to be caught trying to reload only to have your controllers die because you forgot to charge them. Fourth I am not going to spoil anything for anyone. And finally, have some fun. With all that said, let’s continue…
Being that Crossfire: Sierra Squad is the latest entry of the series that started back in 2007 on PC and now we have the newest edition in Virtual Reality, there is history behind the name along with a certain expectation to follow. But like everything else that we do, we can’t just jump into the battle without first training to become the best. Remember, you are elite. When you first start the game, you do have some options of how you would like to play. If you have not gathered your VR legs as of yet, you might want to start off with the Motion Sickness Mode. This mode has tunnel view and does not have any physical rotation. This is not to say you get motion sickness, but the developer knows things can get intense out there, so better to be safe than sorry. If you laugh at anything VR can throw your way, then the Regular VR Mode will be for you. With this mode, tunnel view is thrown out the window and you will have stick rotation for the screen. Either way, the options can be changed at any time within the game selection.
The next option is to select your dominant hand and then you can either start the tutorial, skip it, or just mess around in the shooting range. It is a good idea to go with the training as you will get a sense of how to load & fire the different weapons, movement, and use explosives, such as grenades. But before you actually start, take some time to just take in the details of the environment around you. I mean, duct tape around your gloves never looked so good.
Once your training is complete or you feel you have had enough, you can either go with the Story Campaign, do online squad missions, enter the shop, experience the Horde Mode, or go into Settings. I would suggest going into Settings first as you can make adjustments to things like your rotation and rotation speed for example.
Starting out with the campaign, you do get a brief summary of each mission. You will follow from point to point as you reach the next checkpoint. For certain actions you are supposed to do, you will notice a shape with a white outline such as breaking open a door. But before you know it, you are in the action with your NPC squad member. But even with a squad member, you will end up doing most of the action as each mission will have you trying to take down enemies from those who know how to shoot back to those of the artificial mechanical kind. Some parts of the missions will have you in closer encounters with the enemy while some with let you practice your sniper skills, which I found took just a little bit of time to get used to the holding of the weapon.
Speaking of weapons, I did like the different weapons and how each one had a different feel and a different way to reload them. Sure, some were more challenging to reload at times while some weapons felt a little off in a way, but that is the fun part about Crossfire: Sierra Squad, the ability to try the different mechanics of the weapons, how they feel and act in your hands, and just trying to find out what works best for you. You are sure to have your favorite weapons and those are the ones that you will try and max out first. Now, the grenades may have been a different story as there were times that I did throw them and some went further than others. Nothing like a good running away from a grenade that you threw only to see it drop right by your feet and there is no shame in screaming. If anyone asks, you are practicing your battle cries.
Just some things to remember. The faster you complete a mission, the better score that is received. Also, for each mission that is completed, you are rewarded with XP points and currency. With the currency, you are able to buy new weapons as well as each weapon’s attachments in case you are trying to max out each weapon and have the ability to assign different perks to them.
After each mission, you will get to see how far you can level up, you will have to go back to the shooting range to either continue on with the next mission in the campaign, shop, or mess with your equipment. However, if you are looking for some additional fun, you can try the Horde Mode which allows up to four players, but they don’t call it Horde Mode just because. But what is also part of the fun is the Squad Missions. Being able to play with other players and trying the different skill levels is where I had the most fun, and with over 50 co-op squad missions to play, this is where I spent most of my time. Yes, it may take some time to get through all the squad missions, which is part of the fun, but it is so worth it. At times, I was so busy having fun trying new weapons that I didn’t mind the work I had to put in, which says something.
Let’s talk about the graphics and sound. When playing the game, the environments looked good and even with all the action going on, I did take some time to look at the smaller things and I was not disappointed. From seeing the cracks in the wall to seeing the shadows of different objects in the distance looked really good. With the sound, things sounded like a war was happening around me as bullets were being shot past my ears even the music and the different characters with their sayings which seem to really come through with the Pulse 3D Headset.
There are a few things that I would like to see. For one, campaign continuation without having to go back to the menu. Every time a mission is over, you have to go back to the menu instead of just continuing on. I get that it gives you a chance to see if you want to switch out your weapons, but at least having the option of what the player would like to do next would be an added benefit. Second, the scale of the weapons. Not all the weapons had this, but when I was playing, a few of the weapons felt off in a way like they were not fitting right in the hands. I didn’t let that stop me from any weapon that may have not felt right, I stuck with the ones that did. And finally, more co-op play. Co-op, as I mentioned, is where the most fun to jump into a game. Sure, there were times when it took a little bit of time for players to join, but once they did, there was nothing that could stop us, well, except the RPG firepower at times.
Crossfire: Sierra Squad gives us the fun arcade gameplay that just makes it even more special when you add some friends. It gives us the weapons and the arsenal to try to win the war without trying to be something it’s not. Sometimes we are faced without knowing the outcome and sometimes it’s those chances that we take, that make us who we are.
Crossfire: Sierra Squad is out now for PlayStation VR2 on the PlayStation Store and Steam VR. A review code was provided.
To learn more about Smilegate Entertainment, please visit their site, like them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
In case you missed the trailer, please enjoy. Until next time, I am going back to be part of the elite.
