Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball is a different take on the first-person shooter (FPS) genre. There are no rocket launchers, no energy shields, and no radar on the HUD. Instead, this Xbox-exclusive game recreates tournament-level paintball on 179 real-life fields, complete with authentic real-world gear. Players can test their skills against more than 20 virtual versions of professional paintballers as well as other gamers online or via System Link.
Welcome to the big leagues.
The game offers three different contests for the shooter fan: Elimination (team death match), Capture the Flag, and Center Flag (grab the one flag in the middle of the field and take it to your enemy's headquarters).
Each game is based on pure tournament paintball. You're always part of a team, and your teammates are controlled by the A.I. (in single player) or by other gamers (in multiplayer).
Each match consists of a predetermined number of games, and to win games, you need to score points by marking other players, surviving the round, and scoring with the flag. The fields are relatively small, but packed with fences, barriers, and other items that either side can use as cover during the fast-paced close-quarters combat.
Since this is a virtual war game instead of a virtual war, the guns are called markers. Players get marked instead of shot and eliminated instead of killed. You only have to hit someone (or be hit) once to score an elimination, and it doesn't matter where the hit makes contact with the body.
If you are hit, the game gives you a brief chance to "cheat," so that the elimination doesn't count. After the first paintball hits you, a cheat meter appears. If you tap the button when the indicator is in the green zone, the ref will rule in your favor, and you can play on. If you miss the green zone, you'll not only eliminate yourself, but you'll also run the risk of eliminating one of your own teammates as a cheating penalty.
Pro fields, pro gear, pro action.
Since there are no grenades, health packs, energy shields, or motion detectors in tournament paintball, there are none in this game. This frees up the controller and the HUD to include the kind of actions and information that a paintballer would want, as well as the things that a traditional shooter would need.
Players can crouch or crawl, lean around corners or peek over barriers, dive from a standing position or a dead run onto their bellies, sprint for short distances, and even switch the marker from one hand to the other for the best possible view of the field at all times.
The single-player game consists of 19 progressively more challenging tournaments and allows you to spend your winnings on new and better gear, provided by and licensed from more than 20 authentic sponsors. You also manage a team roster in this mode, picking up better players as you progress. It's up to you to find the right mix of aggressive and defensive players that will win the day.
Multiplayer contests take place via System Link or via XboxLive™. Players can create their own matches with up to seven players to a team and can also customize every detail of the rules. The host determines where the match will be held, how many rounds it will take to win, what the point and time limits will be, what gear to use, and even what view eliminated players will get after being marked out.
Games are extremely fast, so your online teamwork will have to be polished and professional if you expect to compete with the big dogs.
It's splat or be splatted.
The scale of this game is smaller than many other shooters, since you're not winning World War II or saving the universe from an alien invasion. But, the action is still intense, and the victory still rewarding. If you're up for the challenge of a pure shooter and have the goods when it comes to tactical combat skills and teamwork, you don't need space armor or a minigun—all you need is a copy of Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball … and a few living targets that are looking to get marked …
