Prisoner of War
Posted November 7, 2002
"Prisoner of War" is an interesting, if not entirely successful attempt to replicate escape films like the recent "Hart's War". Players take on the role of Captain Lewis Stone, who is shot down with his co-pilot during a routine mission. When the captain lands, he's met by a patrol of German officers who throw him in a war camp.
Those expecting an actioner will likely be very disapointed, as "Prisoner of War" is about as far from that as possible. Instead, your character must solve problems, plan an escape and bargain with other members of the camp to get things you need or information.
The game's first problem is the tone. While the score is appropriately tense, it's rather difficult to take a game that's supposed to be a drama seriously with accents that are noticably campy. The game's repetition also might dismay some gamers. The character's day in the camp consists of a tight schedule; it's only between those times can you search around the base. However, miss a roll-call or go where you shouldn't and you'll be thrown in solitary or end up in sick bay. You will be stopped - over and over and over again, at which point you do have the option to start from the last saved point. Saving the game involves going back to your bunk - you can not save at any other place.
Items that you pick up during your day can be stored in the enormous wooden trunk next to your bunk that, according to the game, the enemy forces would never look in. Personally, I think items should have been hid under a floorboard next to the bunk, or maybe in the ceiling instead of a giant box.
Still, there were some things I liked about the game. While you will run into a lot of the same dialogue from characters, players can choose their dialogue to other characters in some instances. I also enjoyed the ability to move the camera manually, which was helpful on occasion in a game such as this one.
Even so, I couldn't help but feel as if the game needed something else. While I appreciated the storyline and the ability to sneak around to try and achieve objectives, I just didn't find the game very compelling. Aside from the repetitive nature of the title, it also moves very slowly and does not provide much suspense. While this is a very good idea for a game, the end result is a title that I was quickly bored with.
Gameplay:
As I mentioned before, I thought the manual camera movement was a nice, easily done feature. However, my compliments about the controls of "Prisoner of War" pretty much end there. The default camera angle is rarely a particularly useful one and the ability to control your character in terms of doing things like climbing a fence is awkward. I also found it very odd that, once you climb a wall, your character proceeds to stand there in plain view for what seems like a minute before you can regain control and climb him down the other side - very frustrating. Enemy AI varies a lot throughout the game - there are times when German soldiers should be able to see your character and they don't and there are times when the opposite occurs.
Graphics:
"Prisoner of War" boasts average graphics, falling short of the kind of detail that the XBOX has to offer. The camp itself, while there's not much in it, is fairly detailed in terms of the buildings and other aspects (fences, etc.) Some of the character animation, however, looks rather primitive and occasionally, a little strange. The game has a somewhat soft appearance that's not terribly pleasing to view, either.
Audio:
As I briefly mentioned before, the voices of the characters in the game are not one of the title's high points. Campy and awkward, they seem like an attempt to add humor, but it feels out-of-place and makes the game less involving. The general ambience of the camp is fairly minimal; there's not much in the way of background audio. Really, my only positive comment about the game's audio is the score - while it doesn't always have much presence in the soundtrack, it's often the only thing that brings a sorely needed amount of tension and drama to the proceedings.
Conclusion:
Pretty disapointing, given the fact that it's a fine idea for a game. There's simply not enough to it, it becomes repetitive quickly and other faults like the over-the-top accents further take away from gameplay. Graphics and audio are simply average. For those who still want to try it out, I'd suggest renting it first, at most.