Special Forces Team X is available on the Xbox Live Arcade for 1200 MSP, and Steam for £11.99, a code was provided for the purposes of this review.
Special Forces: Team X is an Online Multiplayer only Third Person Shooter focusing on Team based action where up to four teams of Special Forces Operatives do battle across customisable battle arenas and five game modes.
Developed by Zombie Studios (SAW, Blacklight), this is a title that aims to bring fast team based shooting combat which rewards teamwork, and player control of the arenas by allowing customisation via a voting system. The arenas break down into three sections, with players able to choose the sections by voting after matches end, allowing for multiple combinations of battlefields, bringing a unique feature to the market. It retains the customisable loadouts which can be enhanced via the levelling up system which uses XP from playing to advance your player profile, unlocking better weaponry and more customisation options as you progress.
Using a similar Third Person cover combat and movement style to Gears of War, Special Forces: Team X really puts the emphasis on working together as a team, with bonus rewards for staying together and taking out the enemy teams as a unit. But that is where the similarity ends, as with Gears of War running right into battle with shotguns blazing is the norm, with Special Forces Team X, this will get you killed quickly and it requires a more team focused approach to the combat and playing style.
Scattered across the environment are power weapon caches. Available to any team that reach them first, they will be rewarded with a variety of heavy weapons ranging from a Grenade Launcher, Air Strike Flare can, a Terminator 2 style Chain Mini-Gun, or a Chainsaw. Each can be very damaging and makes the race to collect them more enticing.
Games types allow more than the traditional two team combat, with up to four teams in the arena at once means the action is fast paced right from the off. TDM, CTF and Capture Point are your traditional match types with the new Hot Zone and High Value Target modes keeping it fresh. From the main menu, a search feature will show you all available games and you can select which you join based on numbers in the game and match type or you can host your own game. Sadly, the game does fall down a little using this method, as often the search results will be out of date as soon as you select a game with it either showing as being low on players but then telling you it is full or no longer available when trying to join it.
Special Forces Team X is a fun shooter, even joining as a solo player, the incentive to work as a team will bring random players together to get the objective done. But the game has some issues worth making note of. There are some obvious animation glitches such as shuddering when coming out of a sprint and some clipping into the environment and buildings. I have also had my progression stats reset on two occasions, whilst keeping the items applied in my load out, the items show as being locked, first time I was a level 8, played a match of TDM and by the time it was over I was showing as a level 1 player. These can be put down to new release teething issues but this needs to be addressed quickly if the game is to have any life span.
Visually the cel-shaded art style does feel very Borderlands inspired and works well for this third person shooter. Each weapons has a satisfying sound as you use them especially the power weapon pick-ups such as the Chain Mini gun and Chainsaw. The environment really makes use of the cover system well but will leave you open to flanking if you do not stick with your team leaving you vulnerable to attack. With no filter to separate new players from more levelled up experienced players, the difference in load outs is very obvious but the levelling up system is steady allowing you to unlock your own weapons and customisations options which will balance the combat quite quickly. The Steam Version uses dedicated servers but on Xbox Live it is reliant on players hosting games which can lead to lag at times as a result of varying levels of player connections.
Ultimately though, with the game being online Multiplayer only, there is no Single Player campaign or offline mode leaving the game feeling lacking of content to justify the price tag. If you enjoy the competition of online arcade shooters then Special Forces: Team X is entertaining, and with a team of friends working together will be good fun.