The feeling of being in the thick of it is enhanced by myriad post-processing and particle effects that successfully punch up Sandstorm’s otherwise-modest looks. But I, for one, prefer a depiction of war that doesn’t obscure its horrific nature. These touches are intense, and I wouldn’t blame if you find them to be in poor taste. The most disturbing sounds, though, come in the form of determined, blood-spewing coughs and the labored, wailing death rattles produced by both your enemies and allies. I’ve never been in combat, but this seems to be a much more realistic representation than we typically see in games. Bullets produce a loud snap when whizzing by, and a burst of automatic gunfire against a nearby metal surface is almost deafening. If you’re looking to walk away from your modern military FPS with mild tinnitus then Sandstorm on a pair quality headphones is a good place to start. The effect that all this realistic weaponry has on the battlefield is downright scary.The effect that all this realistic weaponry has on the battlefield is downright scary. These details may seem trivial but the results are anything but. And finally, there is slight deadzone in the middle of your aiming axis where only the gun moves and your character does not. Shotguns have remarkable range by FPS standards. You can double tap the reload button to perform a hasty magazine swap that, while faster, discards any remaining ammunition in the spent magazine. Tiny details like the depression of the magazine release or the change in position of the fire selection switch are all visible on the gun models and are thoroughly appreciated. Upon chambering a round at the start of a match, you can then swap magazines to effectively increase your capacity by one. To boil it down: pronounced but manageable recoil, a near-instantaneous time to kill, percussive sound, impactful graphics, and an obsessive understanding of firearms come together to make SMGs, LMGs, shotguns, and especially assault rifles feel truly special.Īnd while Sandstorm has ample amounts of all of the aforementioned qualities, it leans hard into its knowledge of how guns actually work. That surprisingly elusive feeling isn’t a result of any one factor but rather a marriage of several.
If ever there was an example of outstanding FPS gunplay, Insurgency: Sandstorm is surely it. Still, Insurgency: Sandstorm punches well above its weight, offering phenomenal gunplay that shows up much of its big-budget competition.
Elsewhere, though, things aren't quite as glamorous: I found most of its maps to fall into the “just okay” category due in part to poorly defined restricted areas that, on top of being annoying to encounter, are easily exploited. Its arsenal consists of some of the best-realized firearms in any video game to date thanks to stellar sound design, punchy animations, and obsessive attention to detail. Insurgency: Sandstorm is an excellent multiplayer shooter that successfully avoids the common pitfalls of military simulation, but still manages to deliver an immersive, at times disturbing, sense of realism to its modern, Middle Eastern setting.