Looking at: Insurgency

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A Counter Strike

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One of the more popular levels, that hearkens back to Counter Strike in the best way.

Right of the back I should say that I'm going to be making a lot of references to Counter Strike here. That should come as a huge surprise, seeing as how Insurgency started off much the same way Counter Strike did. Thay're both based off Half Life mods, they both focus on tactical shooting gameplay, and they're both really damn fun to play. 

Insurgency, as I mentioned, started life as a mod for Half Life that was sort of Counter Strike, by way of ARMA 2. The basic feel of CS is certainly there, it's short matches, quick deaths, and single life mean that players need to plan and work together as a team. Each team starts in their own base, and must make their way through the level, either killing the entire enemy team or accomplishing the map's objective. It's simple and familiar gameplay that a lot of gamers are pretty used to in their online shooters. 

A Different Kind of War

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Moments of explosive action punctuate periods of quiet planning.

Where Insurgency sets itself apart is it's approach. Rather then Terrorist VS Counter-Terrorist, we're thrown into the much murkier waters of the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts of the early 21st century. No team is necessarily the good guys here, with the Insurgents trying desperately to protect their homes, and the US security forces coming across as complete uncaring assholes, there to do a job and leave. This is a much darker game then Counter Strike, and while it wisely doesn't go to into detail about the various factions, you get a good sense that everyone is just trying to make it through the day. There are as many swears being put out by the game as there usually are by the players, and it's a decidedly grimmer approach than most shooters of this nature. 

The shooting itself is a very tactical affair. Like Counter Strike or ARMA, your character is incredibly vulnerable, and it's rather unlikely you'll survive more than one or two shots, regardless of where you get hit. Death comes swiftly here, and staying put for to long is a death sentence. You'll need a combination of twitch reaction time, and careful planing to win the match. Thankfully Insurgency has a few things that set it above other like-minded shooters. 

Smart Bombs

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Insurgency's weapon mod system allows you to make a mockery of classic German engineering.

First is it's controls. They're great. It's a simple layout, with everything being crowded around the WSAD keys for quick access, and everything is recognizable. What I really like is the inclusion of leaning and sliding. Leaning is a mechanic that way more shooters should use, and it's a great thing here. You'll learn to check corners, only exposing the slightest bit of yourself as you move, and the learn is wide enough to allow you to look out of corners easily, without much repositioning. As for sliding, it's something we've seen a lot in recent shooters, with appearances in Far Cry 2,3, and 4, as well as Bulletstorm, Crysis, or Dishonored. It allows you to quickly move into cover and dodge enemy fire, as well as just looking like a badass. 

The second thing Insurgency does well is it's weapons. All of the weapons are realistically modeled, and they have real weight to them. Gunfights are bombastic, crazy, and loud, and really feel authentic, especially with tracer rounds going off every once and a while. Creative Director Andrew Spearin has said the game is based off his time serving with the Canadian Military in Iraq, and I get the feeling these firefights are modeled with experience. There's a great variety to the weapons too, which changes based on faction, squad, and class. The weapons range from WWII leftovers, like the MP40 SMG, the M1A1 carbine, or the Mosin Nagat sniper rifle, all the way to modern weapons like the AK74, Beretta M9, or the M16 rifle. All of these feel and play different, and it's a good challenge trying to figure out what weapons work best. 

The third thing Insurgency does right is that it's smart. Everything about it is designed with an obvious eye for how a good shooter is played. Taking cover is intuitive, and easy. Weapon attachments have tangible uses, all of which is well explained. There's a variety of different gameplay types, each playing different from each other. The levels encourage both long range engagements, and moment-to-moment close quarters combat. The HUD is minimal, yet still provides the necessary information. Everything about Insurgency is just smart. 

The Long War

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Scopes are great, but smoke and dust will often obfuscate the levels. 

Insurgency is a classic arena shooter, the kind we rarely see these days. There's no meta-game grind going on, matches are self contained and all the content is available from the start. It's the kind of game you play at a LAN match, with a bunch of buddies in a basement somewhere just for kicks. 

In a world constantly dominated by crappy, mass produced shooters that focus on everyone being a super soldier, it's nice to comeback down to earth with a game like Insurgency. It's not quite Counter Strike, nor is it ARMA 3, and it's miles away from COD. Insurgency is a refreshingly different game, that's just familiar enough to work.