America's Army: Proving Grounds

America's Army: Proving Grounds is a modern first-person shooter. In fact, it's not just a game but an educational (or, depending on your perspective, propaganda) product put out by the United States military. Noting the popularity of military-themed games, a group of Army officers proposed a first-person shooter that would help to familiarise the public with some of the realities of modern combat. Several games into the series, the America's Army games have developed a strong fanbase. Proving Grounds is the latest game in the series and focuses primarily on multiplayer competition.

This team-based multiplayer game simulates a squad of infantry preparing for urban combat against a team of fellow trainees. Because this is intended to be a training exercise, characters who are shot aren't really dead -- instead, they're knocked down and can be revived unless an opposing player secures them with a pair of flexible plastic cuffs. The result is a game that's realistic enough to be authentic without being too gory to dissuade young people from serving in the military. The environments are detailed, representing the abandoned cities of a fictional Eastern European republic -- or at least a simulated version of one. Maps lend themselves to close-quarters combat rather than the long-range marksmanship found in some previous America's Army games.

Based on the Unreal Engine, America's Army looks good for a free-to-play game. The graphics aren't absolutely top-of-the-line, but the detail of weapons and uniforms as highly realistic, as would be expected from a game produced by the military. In terms of gameplay, Proving Grounds focuses on realism and teamwork rather than aggressive run-and-gun tactics. Players need to work together, laying down covering fire to protect their comrades and using tools such as flash-bang grenades to suppress the enemy. Characters aren't very survivable; a hit or two will knock a character down, and a well-aimed burst will take a character from fine to out in a split second.

Just like in real warfare, friendly fire is a real hazard. Your teammates can injure you with stray bullets or grenades, so watch you lines of fire. In general, reckless play in America's Army is a good way to get killed.

Pros

• Realistic tactics and graphics
• Free to play
• Focus on teamwork and tactics

Cons

• No lean command
• Revival system means long matches