The History Channel Civil War Review (gamezone)

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When it comes to history’s various bloody conflicts, it’s World War II that gets all the attention in the video game department and why not? Much like the many Hollywood movies centered on that war, games have been inspired by the historic battles that gave birth to heroes and villains. Still, wouldn’t it be nice to experience a game set during a conflict? Activision thought so when it released The History Channel Civil War: A Nation Divided, a first-person shooter brought to us with the blessing of The History Channel. Unfortunately, this one falls short in many ways.

As the single-player mode begins, we are treated to all the historical photographs and narration you would find in a History Channel program. We are given a glimpse into one of the bloodiest conflicts in American history that took place between 1861 to 1865 that had brother fighting brother. The game spans 12 levels and you alternate between the North and South as you take part in the Civil War’s historic battles such as the battle for Fredericksburg as well as Bull Run. Being able to see the war through the eyes of a Confederate soldier as well as a Union officer will give you a chance to experience the war from different perspectives.

As a Confederate soldier, you’ll push back the Union Army in the Battle of Shiloh or watch the North retreat to Chattanooga during the battle at Chickamauga. You’ll interact with your brothers at Antietam and then watch them die at Cold Harbor. The there’s the Union Army side where you’ll play as a blue coat and taking a part in battles such as the march on to Petersburg or the battle of Fort Fisher. You’ll experience what it was like in Gettysburg and Chattanooga. In short, you will be in the frontlines of the war’s most violent skirmishes.

This, of course, is great news if you’re first-person shooter fans that enjoy their battles both fierce and lengthy. You’ll have objectives to complete throughout the game like pushing the line or reach an area where you can outflank to opposing forces. You’ll find yourself enjoying the charge across the field or through a city despite the fact that the game does very little to put you in the boots of a soldier from the North or South. Really, there’s no story here. You won’t get to know your solider intimately or see what makes him tick nor will you be able to change the course of history.

What the game does right are the era specific weapons. Yes it takes long to reload a Springfield musket or even a Henry .44 caliber rifle but that’s what it was like fighting with these weapons. This, however, might not sit well with fans of this genre, especially since recent games like Call of Duty 3 does things faster and better. Still, you have to admire the historical accuracy and the fact that in some battles you might have to rely on your Bowie knife and bayonet. I can count more than a few moments were I was out of ammo and had to push past the enemies with my cavalry saber. It’s these moments that show great promise … until the awful enemy AI rears its ugly head.

You’ll find that some enemies won’t notice you running at them with a saber or a Colt revolver until you’re mere inches away from them. Then again there are some enemies you can’t kill until you do engage them in battle. To top it all off, your enemies’ accuracy changes from expert marksman to clumsy shots. Then again there are moments when the action is hot and the bloody battles start becoming fun but those moments are fleeting since you’ll run across a number of glitches. At one point I unloaded an entire clip from my Spencer carbine on an enemy that actually seemed like he was engaged in battle only to see that I had killed him only he was stuck frozen there on the battlefield. Then there was the time I flung a grenade that landed right on the feet of two unsuspecting blue coats only to be astonished to see them still firing away after the grenade exploded. If things like these happened during the Civil War I really have to start watching the History Channel a lot more often.

The 12 missions move around rather quickly with the exception of certain battles like Gettysburg or Antietam and while that might seem like a really bad thing it’s for the best since the gameplay is practically broken. Unfortunately, there isn’t even a multiplayer mode online or offline. It would have been great to have played against a few friends in a Team Deathmatch between the North and South side and it would have been great to have found a Brothers In Arms-styled multiplayer mode with objectives to complete. I would have even settled for an online North versus South multiplayer mode with up to twenty gamers on the field.

Graphically speaking, Civil War looks like a good-looking budget title. The character models don’t look good up close and their facial expressions don’t look natural. From afar, it’s a treat watching soldiers locked in battles as cannon fire erupts and demolished buildings or kicks up dirt. You’ll see blood spray out of your enemies and allies and you’ll wince the first time you impale an enemy with your bayonet. The backgrounds look great and are beautifully detailed and the grass looks almost natural.

The narration is certainly straight out of a History Channel produced program and even more so since it includes photographs. There’s some music and that sounds like part of the program as well. When it comes to the game, the accents and dialogue are passable and the sound effects are actually pretty good as well. You’ll like the cannon and the sounds of a Gatling gun or the sound of many muskets going off at once.

The History Channel Civil War: A Nation Divided had all the makings of an amazing first-person shooter but due to a number of horrible glitches, a short single-player mode and no multiplayer mode makes this a game that could have given fans something other than a WWII shooter. If you’re looking for s decent first-person shooter, this isn’t the game and will surely disappoint.

Review Scoring Details for The History Channel Civil War: A Nation Divided

Gameplay: 5.0
Charging down the battlefield, slamming the butt of your rifle across the face of your enemy and then impaling them with the bayonet brings home the feeling you’re fighting a battle between the North and South. Shooting a “Johnny Reb” who doesn’t bother to look to his right when you’re almost upon him feels like you’re shooting fish in a barrel and that’s not good.

Graphics: 6.5
The visuals aren’t exactly next-generation and we have seen better when it comes to the character models. What the game does right graphically are the explosions and the beautifully detailed environments. Watching the troops charge down fields during the battle of Gettysburg is something else.

Sound: 6.7
The canon fire and explosions sound amazing and even the gunfire sound right. The Southern accents are perfect and the dialogue sounds right too. The music is fine but the History Channel narration is what steals the show.

Difficulty: Medium
The various campaigns have plenty of challenging skirmishes … but it’s not due to the enemy AI. Really, you’ll get killed by the game’s various glitches than from the enemy. And those used to fast reloading will have to get use to reloading slower than Arkansas molasses.

Concept: 4.0
The History Channel vibe is present and accounted for and, while the game’s story isn’t rich with characterization, the era specific weapons and the historic battles make for a genuine Civil War experience. Unfortunately, no multiplayer mode means you won’t be playing this game after you finish the single-player mode.

Overall: 5.5
It’s sad to see such great potential go to waste in an Xbox 360 game that could have been a unique shooter set during a war other than World War II. While the historical battles can feel appropriately fierce at times, A Nation Divided is too short and flawed and with no multiplayer mode there’s not much here shooter fans will enjoy.