Joint Operation: Typhoon Rising is set in Indonesia in the near future. Using NovaLogic's Black Hawk engine, the game has a new and unique feeling. The Indonesian jungles are packed with trees, underbrush, tall grass, and other natural wildlife that will be helpful for cover under enemy fire. The foliage all over the map allows for a quick guerrilla style attack: fire and run.

Joint Operations stands out from other first person shooter games because of NovaWorld. NovaWorld is NovaLogic's revolutionary gaming service, which allows up to 150 players to play with one another on the same server, while completing missions across massive maps. NovaLogic has fervently claimed that users with dial-up connections will still be able to play with a minimal amount of lag.

Game Play

Teamwork is critical when attempting to complete missions. The maps are so massive that teammates cannot afford to stray in different directions without going towards objective points. NovaLogic has established a point system that specifically rewards players for certain acts of stellar teamwork. Rewards include: staying in a control zone, killing an enemy, medics saving a player from death, and transporting people in a vehicle who kill enemy forces. Be careful, as it is possible to lose points for certain acts that damage the team: dying, intentional suicides, transporting people to their death, or if they are killed are several of the ways to lose points.

The nighttime missions are highly entertaining and add a new angle to the game. Because of the game's unique lighting system, carelessness while firing weapons will cause a muzzle flash that will illuminate the immediate area. All players are equipped with night vision, but it is still easy to stealthily creep up on an enemy embankment. Having the opportunity to sneak up behind someone and stab him or her in the back is a difficult but fun challenge.

Joint Operations features two different forces: the Joint Ops Special Ops Forces and the Joint Ops Rebel Forces.

The Spec Op Forces feature elite soldiers from nine different factions: United States Delta Force, United States Navy Seals, United States Green Berets, British SAS, German KSK, French Gign, Russian Spetsnaz, Indonesian Kopassus, and Australian SASR.

The Joint Ops rebels are classified under two different factions. Indonesian ex-militaries are soldiers that quit the Indonesian military and joined forces with rebel separatists, while Indonesian Separatists have fought for independence from the Indonesian government for years.

Each side has five different character classes to choose from.

• Rifleman - Use a variety of assault rifles and anti-vehicle weapons.
• Gunner - Slower moving class, but powerful weaponry at immediate disposal.
• Engineer - Experts at demolition. Mortars, stinger surface to air weapons help destroy enemy aircraft.
• Sniper - Can easily engage targets from a long distance.
• Medic - The ultimate teammate: Heal teammates in the heat of the battle.

It is a good idea to go through the training missions at least once. The training missions in the game are actually helpful. Depending on the experience of a particular gamer, a complete beginner to FPS war games should immediately start the Basic Control/Armory training mission. The Basic Control/Armory includes: AT-4, stinger, mortar, sniper rifles, satchel charges, grenade launcher, .50 caliber machine gun, land vehicles, water vehicles, aircraft, base defense, and base assault.

One of the best features about Joint Operations is the multiple air, land, and amphibious vehicles that are controllable. The vehicles are crucial to complete missions and for transporting teammates to important land points. Players should be careful when leaving a vehicle behind, because anyone can control it. Along with all of the vehicles in the game being controllable, they can also be destroyed, though several rounds are often required, all the way up to multiple Rocket Propelled Grenades.

Multiplayer Game Types

• Co-op Games (Co-op) - Players work together to accomplish assigned tasks.
• Advance and Secure (AS) - During one of these missions, a team must advance on an enemy base and fight for control of it, but the team also must protect their own bases from being captured.
• Team Deathmatch (TDM) - Whichever team scores the highest by eliminating players on the opposing team.
• Team King of the Hill (TKOTH) - Both teams struggle to control a certain area of land for the longest time. Whichever team holds the piece of land the longest wins.

Final Thoughts

First, I would like to thank Marcus Beer, NovaLogic's Public Relations Manager, for the opportunity to review Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising. I would also like to say that I will look forward to playing with many TechIMO members on NovaWorld's servers supporting up to 150 concurrent gamers.

I asked several Joint Ops players if they were enjoying the game. "Hell yeah," immediately replied one gamer simply known as "ESF…TheSickness."

My final piece of advice for Joint Ops players is the following: when you spawn, make sure you immediately head towards a vehicle that you wish to get a ride on or control. People have a lack of patience, and most players won't stop and turn around to pick up stranded teammates at the spawn point.

The game does demand a fairly high-end system. Complete JO: TR system requirements can be found at the Novalogic website. NovaLogic's Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising is now available from multiple vendors.

Recommended System: P4 2.4GHz or above 512MB System RAM 128MB DX 9 Video Card 1.5GB HDD Space 16x CD-ROM ESRB Rating: Demo: 250 MB Download

Overall Rating: 7.5/10 (higher is better) Vendor Info: Novalogic Inc. Price: ~$39.99