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"With the Army's license, and with Ubisoft picking up the title for consoles, you'd think it would be good."

Introduction: After spending a few weeks of my summer playing the PC version of this game, I was excited to hear that it had come out on Xbox. But I was disappointed. Read more to find out why.

Gameplay 7/10

The overall gameplay for this game is actually quite fun. Although at times it doesn't seem very realistic, which isn't good considering it's officially licensed by the U.S. army. But with that aside, the missions are pretty entertaining which is a plus since the PC version had mostly training. The game can also be frustrating at some times, with you feeling like the only one in your squad who actually knows how to shoot a gun. The AI isn't top notch either. Americas Army is also Xbox Live enabled, and in short, its not all that great. The whole menu setup can be confusing the first time around and the first time I played, I killed a teammate because I thought he was an enemy.

Story 8/10

I found the story pretty good, especially with its RPG like stat distribution system. There's not much of a story really, but as you complete more missions your rank will go up in the army. Hence the title: Rise of a Soldier.

Graphics 6/10

The graphics are without a doubt the biggest flaw of the game. And coming from Ubisoft, that's not a good thing. When talking to squad mates and other soldiers, you'll notice that their mouths do not move at all. The same thing in the cut scenes, you see a car or a jeep driving and the wheels are block like and don't rotate. So it looks like the vehicles are just floating along the road. The animations aren't fluid and smooth like what you would expect for a current gen Ubisoft title. Sorry for all the Ubisoft references, but with killer games like the Tom Clancy series, Far Cry Instincts, and other games coming from them, America's Army just doesn't cut it in terms of graphical performance.

Sound 8/10

The sound is done pretty well. Although you can't tell if the voice overs are done well in any way since the mouths dont move when someone speaks. But the sounds for grenades, guns, and vehicles are quite good.

Replayability 7/10

Unless you have Xbox Live, there's not much to do once you complete the game. Any game that goes online has a chance of unlimited replayability, but I would recommend the PC version, since it's funner online, and free to download.

Overall (not an average) 7/10

The game is good for a rent or two, but you definitely shouldn't buy it before you try it. If you recieve it as a gift, you would still have a fun time with it. If you want to buy something, go with anything else by Ubisoft, just not this one. If you're still interested in the game, try downloading the PC version because its free, and a lot funner in my opinion.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/05/06