Cannon Fodder 3
Cannon Fodder 3 | |
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Developer(s) | Burut CT |
Publisher(s) | Game Factory Interactive |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
Release |
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Genre(s) | Action, strategy |
Cannon Fodder 3 is an action-strategy PC game developed and published – originally in Russia – by Game Factory Interactive (GFI), along with developer Burut CT. The game is the second sequel to Cannon Fodder, a commercially and critically successful game released for multiple formats in 1993. Jon Hare and his company Sensible Software, the developers of Cannon Fodder and its prior sequel, were uninvolved with Cannon Fodder 3.[1] GFI instead licensed the intellectual property from now-owner Codemasters.
The game is a combination of action and strategy involving a small number of soldiers battling enemy terrorists. The protagonists are heavily outnumbered and easily killed. The player must rely on strategy and heavy secondary weapons to overcome enemies, their vehicles and installations.
Cannon Fodder 3 was released in Russia in December 2011 and – via download service GamersGate – Europe and North America on 9 February 2012, receiving mixed reviews. Reviewers found the game to be enjoyable but limited and repetitive. The graphics and humour received both positive and negative criticism. Critics derided the poor English translations as well as technical problems.
Overview
Cannon Fodder 3 has a basic premise involving American soldiers
Development
Cannon Fodder 3 is the third installment in the Cannon Fodder series, the first two games of which – Cannon Fodder and
GFI's Oleg Lychaniy stated the developers attempted to retain the most appealing elements of the original Cannon Fodder while attracting new players. GFI also attempted to retain Cannon Fodder's "antimilitarist message" and was most proud of the new destructible environment. The developers broadened the variety of weapons and vehicles and changed the level structure by adding sub-missions.[6]
Reception
Publication | Score |
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PC Gamer (UK) | 53%[2] |
PC PowerPlay | 5/10[4] |
PC Master | 80%[16] |
Strategy Informer | 7/10[5] |
Digital Spy | 3/5 |
Games.cz | 4/10[17] |
Metro (UK) | 3/10[18] |
Richard Cobbet, writing in
Liam Martin of Digital Spy noted that the variety of locations and weather effects added to the distinctiveness of individual levels. He praised the "simple but effective", "cartoonish" and colorful visual style, the improved detail from the game's predecessors along with the "light-hearted tone" and "spectacular and bloody" gore effects. He praised the destructible environments but thought the characters were too small. He felt use of strategy to be "limited" but the action "enormous amounts of explosive fun" and enjoyed the gratification of destroying enemies and buildings with rifles and tanks. The writer found the game a "little repetitive" with a "tendency to grate", which he blamed on somewhat tedious level design, a lack of variety in objectives, a poor camera and long loading times. The lack of a tutorial or mini-map proved sometimes confusing. He noted the "welcome" but limited on-line cooperative mode. Martin felt the game was "best played in short bursts" and summarised: "Provided you're not expecting a game with much depth or that's oozing innovation, Cannon Fodder 3 proves that virtual war can still be a lot of fun".[3]
Nathan Cocks of
Strategy Informer felt the game had updated and improved upon the original, noting better controls, more forgiving health bars and save points, and more engaging mission goals. The reviewer criticised the poor translations and perceived borderline ethnic stereotypes in the enemy characters. Overall the reviewer was impressed by the game, saying "in the end CF3 far exceeded my expectations".[5] Metro had some praise for the graphics but complained of a lack of any fun and poor camera, controls and level design. The reviewer called the translated dialogue worse than that of Zero Wing.[18] Greece's PC Master praised the game as enjoyable and while somewhat repetitive, a successful update of the Cannon Fodder series.[16] Czech website Games.cz criticised the game as a failure, with poor graphics, music, sound effects and immature, unimpressive humour, saying the game would only be worth buying at a lower price.[17]
References
- ^ GameCentral, Cannon Fodder 3 out now… in Russia, Metro, 3 Feb 2012, Retrieved 14 July 2012
- ^ a b c d Richard Cobbet, "Lukewarm War", PC Gamer UK, April 2012 (issue 238), p. 116
- ^ a b c Liam Martin, 'Cannon Fodder 3' review (PC), Digital Spy, 27 Feb 2012, Retrieved 13 July 2012
- ^ a b c d Nathan Cocks, Cannon Fodder 3, PC PowerPlay, 18 June 2012, Retrieved 13 July 2012
- ^ a b c d Chris Capel, Cannon Fodder 3 Review (PC), Strategy Informer, Retrieved 10 Aug 2012
- ^ a b Cannon Fodder 3 Interview (PC), Strategy Informer, Retrieved 10 Aug 2012
- ^ Robert Purchese, Hare figuring out iCannon Fodder, Eurogamer, 11 Jan 2011, Retrieved 14 July 2012
- ^ GameCentral, Cannon Fodder creator ponders iPhone comeback, Metro, 11 Jan 2011, Retrieved 14 July 2012
- Rock, Paper, Shotgun, 18 Jan 2011, Retrieved 14 July 2012
- ^ a b Wesley Yin-Poole, Will Cannon Fodder 3 release in the UK?, Eurogamer, 18 Jan 2011, Retrieved 14 July 2012
- ^ a b Nathan Brown, Cannon Fodder 3 Announced, Edge, 18 Jan 2011, Retrieved 14 July 2012
- ^ Wesley Yin-Poole, Cannon Fodder 3 is… well…, Eurogamer, 3 Feb 2012, Retrieved 14 July 2012
- Rock, Paper, Shotgun, 3 Feb 2012, Retrieved 14 July 2012
- ^ a b Wesley Yin-Poole, English language Cannon Fodder 3 hits GamersGate, Eurogamer, 9 Feb 2012, Retrieved 14 July 2012
- ^ Scott Nichols, 'Cannon Fodder 3' gets English release, Digital Spy, 9 Feb 2012, Retrieved 14 July 2012
- ^ a b Cannon Fodder 3 PC, Metacritic, Retrieved 14 July 2012; taken from PC Master, Apr 2012
- ^ a b Karel Vojtisek, Cannon Fodder 3 (Czech), Games.cz, 29 Mar 2012, Retrieved 14 July 2012
- ^ a b David Jenkins, Cannon Fodder 3 review – insensible software, Metro, 8 Aug 2012, Retrieved 10 Aug 2012