VIDEO GAME REVIEW You're not just an army of one in 'Typhoon Rising'

Being mobile is key to navigating the huge map and fighting effectively.
By DEAN TAKAHASHI
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
NovaLogic's "Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising" puts you in the middle of a war-torn Indonesia in the near future, in which U.S., British, French, German and other U.N. soldiers square off against Indonesian separatist rebels. You play either side as a soldier from a first-person point of view.
This game differs in its size and scope. More than 150 players can enter the same battle, compared to the usual maximum of 64 players in the Electronic Arts "Battlefield 1942" and "Battlefield Vietnam" series. And the size of each battlefield can be as big as 50 square kilometers, covering expanses of territory including whole islands, rivers, jungles, towns and paddies. Soldiers can see objects as far as a kilometer away.
The presence of so many soldiers on the battlefield changes the way you play. In early games, I couldn't get into many matches where 150 soldiers were playing. But I got into a fair number with anywhere from 60 to 100 players. You get the feeling that you're part of an army, not just a squad. And you have to use group tactics to win. Because the maps are so big, you have to move to find the action, and you often won't find that many players nearby. But the weapons, including sniper rifles, are so lethal that you really don't want to see a lot of soldiers fighting all in the same place.
Beyond land
The term "joint operations" also refers to air, land and sea. The game has 29 vehicles, from helicopters to patrol boats to armored troop carriers that players can ride into battle. Although the graphics terrain isn't spectacular compared to top PC games like "Far Cry," it has features that make a difference in game play. I was running up a hill road, and as I crested a ridge I was temporarily blinded as I came face to face with the sun. And during dusk you can crawl on the jungle floor to escape detection until you're close to the enemy. When a helicopter hovers over water, you can see the circular waves it makes.
The game has design elements that keep the action from being too chaotic. In some maps, you are given a base to defend or an enemy target to attack, which you can view on a strategic map. Colored markers show you the way to these locations. But fortunately, you don't have to jog the whole way there. All the vehicles can carry multiple passengers. You just hit the shift key to join a vehicle and the driver can take off. As a passenger, you can be a gunner on a helicopter or a Humvee, taking out enemies on the way to your destination. Among the rides at your disposal are Stryker armored personnel carriers, AH-6 Little Bird helicopters and the Russian Halo helicopter, which can take off with a couple of jeeps inside.
Strategies
But beware. If your helicopter gets hit, all the passengers will drop from the sky, too. Each base often has a half-dozen helicopters or ground vehicles waiting for you. If your side doesn't use these effectively, it will lose the battle. Although the helicopters can be deadly and land soldiers with surprise, it's always fun to hide in the grass and take them out with a Stinger anti-aircraft missile. There's actually some motivation to be a pilot or driver. If you ferry soldiers successfully to a destination, your character gets credited with a percentage of the kills they score.
The game has its training missions, but they're nothing more than preparation for the multiplayer online combat, teaching you skills like how to lob grenades or switch weapons. The graphics aren't gorgeous, but they move fast. If you aim at someone, you can generally hit them, in contrast to the "Battlefield" games. Overall, this game will give EA's "Battlefield" series some serious competition.
X"Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising," for PC, is rated T for teens.