Hammer & Sickle Previews
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The gameplay itself isn't a whole lot different from Silent Storm in that it's a real-time turn-based hybrid. Everything happens in real-time until combat ensues when it then shifts to turn-based mode. You, and your enemies, have a set number of action points from which you can walk, crawl, run, shoot, throw grenades, etc. Everything you do costs action points (AP) during the round, even basic things such as looking in a certain direction (although there is an ability that you can choose which makes this a free action.) The combat model works extremely well but again it was a bit rough around the edges. The big issue is that the enemies never miss and since the game strives for a certain level of realism it only takes one or two direct hits and you're a dead man. Playing the Alpha because of this was literally impossible without using the provided cheat codes. This is what you get sometimes when you play with software which is obviously unfinished so it's unfair to be too critical at this point because the game is still months from its release.
The second is at Gamer's Hell:
To further add to the RPG elements in Hammer and Sickle, the hero's daily actions and mannerisms will always affect something in the future. For instance, in one of the earlier missions I encountered a young boy and his mother. If I chose to help the young boy stop a train carrying explosives, he could have helped my weapon situation while his mother could have helped forge documents. However, after a heated argument with the boy that escalated very quickly, I had no choice but to kill him and his mother. With every action there are sure to be consequences, and killing that boy and his mother had its fair share of repercussions. The main hero has a behavior meter, and if he acts extremely out of hand, NATO authorities will interfere and a hell of a mess will ensue. If the forger was still living, she would be able to supply me with a new ID so the authorities wouldn't be watching my every move. Hundreds of incidents like these will occur, so it's best to be on the lookout for allies instead of rivals. Throughout the entire campaign, an assortment of these RPG elements help make Hammer and Sickle as enjoyable as Silent Storm.
