Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror (2002)

2.75 from 4 votes
Tactical Ops is a Counter-Terrorist game in the same vein as Counter-Strike, with slightly less realistic damage and physics. Originating as a total conversion for Unreal Tournament, it became a standalone game a couple of years after its initial incarnation.
First released
Apr 24, 2002
Developed by
Kamehan Studios
Published by
MicroProse Software, Inc.
Platforms
PC
Genres
Action, First-Person Shooter
Themes
Modern Military, Crime
Rating
ESRB: M
Releases
  • PC - Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror United States

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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Ultra-Violent shooter with lots of memories
Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror is a Counter Strike clone that, as far as I know, faded into obscurity. It was one of the first fully 3D games I played as a kid, and looking back, this would be one of those games that reached the news back then for kids turning into violent killers.

The principle of Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror is simple, just like Counter Strike. You got a terrorist team and a special forces team and the two need to battle it out on a map. When starting the match, you can buy weapons, armor and grenades.

You get cash from finding it on the map, collecting cocaine or making kills. Some maps feature special weapons that almost make you invincible, causing some balancing issues. You can also secure hostages in some maps, rewarding you with a lot of extra cash.

Basically, that it all there is to it. What sets it apart for me, besides my personal memories from the early days, is the weapons that you can buy and purchase, the violence, in terms of the amount of blood that is sprayed everywhere when shooting opponents, the bone chilling screams of the female characters in this game when they get killed and the calm, ambient music in the background that literally made me feel like I was in another dimension when killed and spectating the map in ghost mode. When hostages pick up weapons (because someone was killed in their vicinity), they pick up the weapons and start shooting terrorists, it is hilarious.

Personally, I only played with bots because I sucked to hard for online play and it was all I knew. The bots all have names like Steven Seagull, Jean Claude van Damn, Sylvester Stallone etc. Back then, I did not know who those people were, but after a while, I got the joke. Also, as a kid I was not familiar with multiplayer games and thought that this game had a story or campaign. It felt weird playing and after a while, I realized this was a game that you are supposed to play online. Yeah, I was not a smart boy.

The graphics were, and still are, fine to look at. They are nothing special today but back then, I thought they looked awesome. The detail on the blood is great and explosion effects are still nice. The animations are a little mixed. There are no reloading animations on the characters and while the movement itself is fine, every other action or move is made with a stiff character, holding its gun. The animations on reloading in First Person however are great and look very detailed.

In terms of sound, this one of those game that surprised me to this day. The sound of, reloading, the gunfire and explosions are still fantastic. The voice acting of the bots is also clean and sharp. To top it off, the moans and scared whining of the hostages is a little to realistic for a simple game like this.

In conclusion, Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror is a good game and a classic for LAN parties or some quick Counter Strike-like fun with your buddies. For me, it is a memorable piece of my youth, although it did not necessarily needed to be.

I recommend giving it a try.
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21 users have this game in their library 1 user has this game in their wishlist 2 users love this game 0 users are playing this game 3 users have completed this game