Prisoner of War Review

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Prisoner of War

Review by Old RoosterJanuary 2003

Prisoner of War attempts to build a stealth-adventure upon the kind of sneak/evade components found in such games as Thief and Metal Gear Solid. Although the setting and gameplay premise may be appealing, the title is unfortunately brought down by some rough edges and, perhaps, being too much of a good thing.

Let’s set the game up, both as to location and play design.

“You’re Captain Lewis Stone, shot down over wartime Germany.  You must fulfill your mission to destroy the enemy’s devastating new super-weapon, despite imprisonment at Stalag Luft. Stealth and cunning are the only available ‘weapons’ through your multiple prison camp internment.”

“Now, We Have Just Three Rules in this Camp—Report to Roll Call, Don’t Go Near the Perimeter Fences, and Obey All Rules!”  —Camp Kommandant

Except for cutscenes and involvement in the progressive storyline indicated above, all of your time and efforts are spent in various prison environments, the most famous and interesting of which is Colditz Castle. And, speaking of time, there is a prominent clock displayed in the upper left corner of your screen, which informs of the next objective and where you should be at a particular point in the day. The rest of the interface is logically and clearly presented, including a small map and indicator of nearby guards.

Resembling very much my life with Frau Wife, “Home Kommandant,” our Captain Stone’s daily routine looks like this—morning roll call, meager breakfast, morning exercise, a bit of lunch, limited afternoon free time, what one may call dinner, evening muster, lights out. Deviating substantially from this structure, as indicated in the Kommandant’s “three rules,” can lead to a stay in the sick bay or, worse yet, solitary confinement. You can’t be killed, only delayed in mission accomplishment. Sometimes being caught can be serious, however, as you stand to lose all of the goodies (inventory) you have painstakingly acquired.

Prisoner of War has our hero engaged in many conversations with prison guards and other inmates. The goals typically are to acquire information about items (disguises, crowbar, etc.) needed to accomplish particular objectives. The overall mission is to escape each camp, moving along the story path, culminating in Colditz.  There is an open-endedness, sometimes too much so, in this regard.  In that sense, it resembles some of the more ambiguous adventure games we so often enjoy. While sneaking about the camps, Stone needs to avoid the purview of roving guards, displayed via a cone on the map. Attention and alarms may be drawn to him by “sighting” even a small portion of his body within the cone, or even his making too much noise. There sometimes is an inconsistency (A.I. problem) in this regard.

Ambient sounds and background music are very nicely done—perhaps the strongest part of the game. Voice acting, though, is uneven, sometimes a caricature of Hogan’s Heroes’ cast members, producing groans and a smile, although this isn’t intended to be a funny game.  Unfortunately, graphics, even at 1024×768 resolution, are as bland and flat as the camps themselves. Which brings us to …

“Sorry, I Don’t Like Your Rules” —Captain Stone

In the first couple of hours, I was really excited about POW, sensing that it was a very creative approach to contemporary adventuring—no shooting, hitting, killing; just conversations, inventory collection, puzzle-solving. The environment is “alive,” populated with interesting characters, both prisoners and guards, who seem to have agendas of their own, and most of whom can be conversed with. However, although receiving “points” for originality of design and intent, some important gameplay and technical areas left me disappointed. I finished POW only because I was doing a review and am not giving the title a permanent place in my library.

Prisoner of War is a multiplatform release, with the bias clearly toward the console. The dreaded camera and control issues rear their heads, much as with so many third-person games, particularly those that are console-ported and/or created with the console in mind. For example, there are two hint buttons displayed onscreen that are easily confused with action buttons and clearly designed for the Xbox. Camera following is sometimes awkward, often failing to reveal what you would like to view; as is the sometimes imprecise movement of Stone. I guess we’re getting rather used to this port phenomenon, but I still resent the failure of developers to fully employ the flexibility of the PC (mouse, keyboard) in most games of this type.

Saving a game follows common console guidelines, as well. To accomplish this critical step, you must return to the bed in your barracks, sometimes a harrowing trip. Given the trial-and-error nature of the game, this presents a serious impediment to the gradual progress we enjoy with “save anywhere” approaches. One has to repeat enough as it is, given the difficulty of POW, without having to add territory to it by going back to the barracks!

Finally, those mechanical components could be overlooked somewhat if gameplay was more involving and interesting. However, the “FedEx” running about for inventory items and other “keys” to progress in the game becomes soon redundant and boring, as well as frustrating. I really wanted this almost unique game to be a hit, but I’m afraid it falls substantially short. As mentioned earlier, the first couple of hours are novel and motivating, but the next twenty, through four major missions, are much less involving, leading, I’m sorry to say, to an overall rating of “not very good.”  Rent this if you own a console, and buy it from the bargain bin, preferably with a return privilege, if you own a PC.

What I Liked About Prisoner of War

  • Attempt by developer to be innovative
  • Interesting setting
  • Potentially involving overall storyline
  • Thoughtful gameplay without weapons
  • Good use of ambient sounds and music
  • Conversations with NPCs
  • Ambiguity and multiple ways to solve problems

What I Didn’t Like About Prisoner of War

  • Awkward control and camera
  • Flat, colorless graphics
  • Console-type save game mechanism
  • Subpar voice acting
  • High level of difficulty
  • Overall timed nature of the game
  • Tension/frustration with having to meet the camp schedule or lose items
  • Uneven A.I. that is hard to accurately predict
  • Ambiguity and multiple ways to solve problems The End

The Verdict

The Lowdown

Developer: Wide Games Publisher: Codemasters Release Date: September 2002

Available for: Windows Xbox

Four Fat Chicks Links

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Screenshots

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System Requirements

Windows 95/98/ME/XP Pentium II 450 128 MB RAM 8X CD-ROM 16 MB 3D DirectX 8.0 compatible video card DirectX 8.0 compatible sound card

Where to Find It

Gogamer (PC) 27.90Gogamer (Xbox) 44.90

Prices/links current as of 01/07/03Links provided for informational purposes only.  FFC makes no warranty with regard to any transaction entered into by any party(ies).

      Copyright © Electric Eye Productions.  All rights reserved.  No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.

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14 Responses to Fear Factor

  • Fear Factor | Tap-Repeatedly.com | Reality Topics Blog

    […] nobody@flickr.com (graftedno1) wrote a very interesting post today.   Here’s a quick excerpt:My greatest fear is to be trapped alone in a confined space with a blind human, in total darkness. They have a heightened sense of smell and hearing, and. […]

  • Matt "Steerpike" Sakey

    Lewis, you made me think of the scariest moments I’ve experienced in gaming, and we’re very similar people.

    Bioshock had two moments – the dentist and the flooded room filled with mannequins.

    Thief had Return to the Cathedral, which was terrifying to me. Thief 3 had Shalebridge Cradle, which is so scary it ought to be fined.

    System Shock 2 kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was more lonely panic than true fear.

    Korsakovia was so scary that I uninstalled it.

    And STALKER. Oh, god, the haunted labs in STALKER. The latter two games don’t have scares like that. Few games do.

    It’s especially rare for a game to have more than mere “moments” – for a game to be scary from beginning to end, that’s a triumph.

    Wonderful article. As if Gregg’s review wasn’t enough to convince me that Penumbra is not something I have the courage to play!

  • DPenn

    I’m with you Lewis … I’m a bit of a puss. I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the idea of dread as entertainment.

    Still, I’m drawn to dark stories when they have something interesting to say, whether it’s a game like Thief or a film like, say, Gaspar Noe’s Irreversible. So I’ll push through, sometimes peering through my fingers.

    The trouble with games, though, is that if you look through your fingers, you’re probably just going to have to play through the scenario again. :~)

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    I wanted to play this game. I downloaded the demo but the controls were just too wonky for me to get my head around. I liked the atmospheric vibe a lot. I think I’m a bit desensitized from an overdose of horror movies in my youth so I don’t so much get the dread thing from these games as a nice creepy vibration. If only the controls were better…

  • Lewis B

    @ Mike, what’s wrong with the controls bud? As someone who despises poor control schemes, Penumbra’s is just like any other FPS, except to examine things you right click on them.  To use things you left click.  I’m not sure that can be considered difficult 🙂

  • Gregg B

    @Steerpike: Yeah my greatest shit-scared moments were with those games too. A few spoilers below people, so beware.

    Bioshock – Haha, I remember the dentist. I didn’t really find the game that scary overall but the bit where you go into the wine cellar and notice a mannequin facing the wall and after upgrading your weapon it’s stood directly behind you motionless and quiet just for a moment before attacking you. I shat a brick. I also missed that bit originally until Lew told me about it.

    System Shock 2 – same as you really, more unremitting tension all the way through rather than specific terrifying moments. Oh actually, theres a bit where you call a lift and it breaks then you realise a service droid is coming to fix it… I do remember having sleep issues after my first encounter with the cyborg ninjas though.

    Thief: The Dark Project – The Sword and Return to the Cathedral and Down in the Bonehoard and well, loads of them. The Sword made me break out into goosebumps though because there was a bit where you could hear this creepy giggling which seemed like it was following me about then it suddenly changed to this horrible throaty noise. What made matters worse was that the EAX (bless you Creative) made my foot steps sound like somebody else was there with me. That level was incredible, a bit too incredible as it seems I missed great chunks of it because I was so eager to leave.

    Thief II: The Metal Age – Trail of Blood where you end up in that opening with those damn tree beasts. God the first time I saw one of those hurtling towards me I actually died shortly afterward. Do you remember that Mechanist child walking around on one of the levels? That was a little creepy.

    Then there’s Penumbra: Overture – quite a few bits but I’m not mentioning them here.

    Oh and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. – The brain scorcher lab just because it was so damn quiet. My imagination seriously got the better of me there. Those stuffed animals and heads I’d seen in various buildings led me to believe that those creatures were lurking somewhere in the Zone, specifically that lab.

    @Mike: My control setup was perfect after some tweaking (as well as the simple weapon swing fix). If you ever fancy giving it another go, give me a shout and I’ll let you know my setup.

  • Lewis B

    I’m not sure why guys, but one of my starting paragraphs had gone missing, even though I copied it straight from the original source, and It was fine earlier. 

    Incase you missed it due to some technical issue you might want to re-read just after “Well no she wouldn’t in truth, but in Penumbra: Overture you don’t want to move anyway.” at the very start for those who’ve already read the article. Apologies 🙂

  • Mike "Scout" Gust

    Lewis, it was the weapon swing. It had this terrible, unresponsive feel to it, like trying to hit through molasses. I couldn’t stand using it. I tried the .ini fix as mentioned in the review but it didn’t seem to help. Of course this was the demo…but that shouldn’t have made any difference. I might try the second game instead as I guess they did away with the weapons thing.

    I’m see your first paragraph just fine. It’s the dialogue, right?

  • jdeuel

    I like the argument that weapons can remove fear, but even loaded to the teeth with ammo in AVP’99 the Marine missions were frightful because the enemy was anywhere at any time.

    As for Penumbra Overture, if the controls are anything like the original Penumbra they need to hack in some Wii-Remote 3d controls. I did not like using my mouse for 3d movements.

  • Gregg B

    @Mike: I’ve read that many people avoided conflict altogether in Overture which incidentally is something forced upon you in Black Plague. As somebody who has been renovating a house over the last 6 months with no DIY experience I can safely say that swinging a hammer is significantly easier in real life than it is in Overture without the fix. The fix balanced that for me.

    I’d highly recommend completing the first Penumbra because it’s one big build up to Black Plague which spoils the ending to Overture in the intro. And it’s a great ending too. Just so you know!

  • Lewis B

    @ Steerpike, those moments you mention are all my worst too!!  Do you remember the Robot labs in SS2? Absolutely terrifying, waiting for robots to burst out on you! 🙁 oh and have you ever player Condemned?

    @ Mike, The use of weapons in Penumbra is different to say HL2, where the player is physically holding the weapon, as in Penumbra it floats slightly infront of you.  However, if you change the control method to normal weapon swing, it’s no different!  Speak to Greggi and he’ll tell you what to do 🙂

    @ jdeuel, AVP the original and its sequal were scary however what type of fear do you think it is? I don’t think it’s anything more than sheer tension.  Having a Smart Gun makes you feel incredibly powerful.  I can honestly say in Penumbra the fear is sheer unrivalled terror, where you actually have to force yourself to play on.  It genuinly is that scary! 🙂

  • Jason Dobry

    It’s so true, an arsenal of weapons and ammo rapidly deflates any sense of horror or uneasiness in any game for reasons you already mentioned. Sakey, I thought Bioshock was more “lonely panic,” while I was pretty much always terrified in System Shock 2. I really, really, REALLY did not want to enter The Many’s nursery, and my weapons were so unreliable and ammo so scarce that I never felt safe.

    Silent Hill was terrifying for the same reasons. Ammo was rare and I frequently had to rely on my pipe for self-defense.  Even when I had ammo, the game mechanics prevented my character from being anything other than marginal with any firearm.

    Fear had one moment for me: I was climbing up a ladder, and as I reached the upper platform, my guy briefly looked down as he climbed off. As my perspective looked up again, that Ring-esque little girl was RIGHT THERE, reaching for me. I screamed and she was gone.

    What else…the original Aliens vs. Predator sent me into a locker room and I could only hear the facehuggers scurrying about somewhere within. I had to go in there. I advanced about three steps before the damn thing screamed and filled up my screen with its repulsive underside as it implanted me with its spawn. My roommate made fun of me for weeks for screaming like a girl child.

    Korsakovia–meh.  I was too annoyed and frustrated by the box rearrangement/jumping puzzles to be scared. I uninstalled it after an hour of play, I think. Maybe the scary parts were later, but I doubt it.

    As for Penumbra, I did play through about half of it before other games distracted me. I remember unease and creepiness, but no sweaty fear. I think I’m to blame here, or, more precisely, my daughter, who was still an infant at the time and generally allowed me only to play during the day for 45 minutes at a time. I was denied total immersion and the fear effect suffered. Maybe I should give it another go after I finish Call of Pripyat since she sleeps through the night now. With any luck, Penumbra will keep me from doing the same.

  • Gregg B

    I played the demo of F.E.A.R. but that ladder scare is the only bit I remember. Christ, that made me jump. I’m not too good with cat scares.

    Also I felt exactly the same about Korsakovia. It was creepy at first but then it began to irritate me far too much and it just soured the experience. I stopped playing as a result. Not to mention, when I realised I could bash those smoke-things with my crowbar they didn’t bother me nearly as much.

  • Online Up

    Great article. I look forward to reading more in the future.

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