Gaming Target - Xbox: Prisoner of War

Written by Ryan Smotherman on April 26, 2002

First Impressions: ButЕ butЕ I wanna kill some Nazis!

World War II, the war to end all wars. Without a doubt, it was the darkest time in our history. Millions upon millions of people died, cities were decimated, and a single stronghold came a little too close to taking over the world. In modern days that horrible time between 1939 and 1945 is looked on with much interest. It's just hard to fathom the carnage that went on, which of course, is why we try to recreate those days in the form of entertainment. Motion pictures like Saving Private Ryan and HBO's award-winning mini-series, Band of Brothers, do a marvelous job showing you what things were like during that time in history, while video games like EA's Medal of Honor series and Return to Castle Wolfenstein throw you in the middle of the carnage, guns a blazing. Whether you think it's good or bad, most WWII inspired video games follow the same formula Ц it's a FPS (First Person Shooter) where you go through the game killing Nazis (and demons on RTCW's case), completing important objectives, and just plain trying to save the world. This my friends is where Prisoner of War is looking to change things.

This third-person action/adventure romp is being developed by the UK based team at Wide Games, and as the name implies, takes place in Nazi POW camps. As the story goes, you play the role of Captain Lewis Stone whose mission is to infiltrate various POW camps in search of secret Nazi projects, destroy them, then find a way to get your American arse outta there. The concept of the game is a far cry away from what has been established by other WWII inspired action games, and it seems to borrow many elements from other titles as well. For example, stealth will play a predominate role in the game, such as in titles like Metal Gear Solid. It even goes to the extent where you can do things like making noises or throwing rocks at guards to get their attention. By utilizing the Xbox's internal clock, POW will also feature a day and nighttime feature similar to Sega's Shenmue. Throughout each day you'll have to attend certain events like role calls and feedings, but other than that you're free to roam and gather info. Additionally, you have the ability, as in Shenmue II, to skip time so you don't have sit and wait to attend a certain event. Communication will also take the form of something similar to Shenmue, and to make your way through each camp successfully you'll be required to converse with other POWs for all sorts of info. When such in such place is open, where certain items are, and any other info important that is needed to effectively complete your mission and escape.

If done right POW could be a game to look out for. Of course, AI will play a major role in this as well. And thankfully, it is said that the guards in the game act as they should. They follow set walking patterns and if they see you doing anything suspicious it's game over for you. And get this, apparently some guards will be more intelligent that others depending on their rank, which opens all kinds of doors in the strategy department.

To help out the promising gameplay, Prisoner of War is looking incredible in the graphics department. Even though the game is set to hit the PS2 and PC along side with the Xbox, the developer is actually taking the time to add a few more graphical touches for the Xbox version. Fantastic lighting and shadow effects, impressive textures that really show off the gritty environment, and great looking character models are just a few of the things you should expect to see in the game. Along the way you'll also get to see your fair of things like explosions as well. Overall, though, the most important aspect of the visuals will most definitely be the Nazi camps. Bringing that horrible world to life won't be easy, but so far things are looking on the up and up. The audio in POW is even turning out to be a real winner. There's already a huge buzz going around about the game's musical score, and it is set to feature real-time voiceovers throughout.