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Return Fire (PS1)

Return Fire PSX
Genre: Action
Perspective: 3rd-person, Top-down
Pacing: Real-Time
Gameplay: Shooter
Vehicular: Helicopter, Tank
Published by: Time Warner Interactive
Developed by: Silent Software
Released: 1996
Platforms: PlayStation (PSX, PS1), 3DO Interactive Multiplayer

Like all decent games, the action of the military game Return Fire unfolds around a simple plot - to destroy the enemy. But a lot of tricks are strung on him, which begs for them to be studied and mastered. The first thing that attracts in this game is, undoubtedly, graphics. Military operations are conducted in a very picturesque and mobile landscape: changing angles, panning, alternating general and large plans - in short, everything that allows to implement 32-bit technology. The territory is actively used in combat. You can, for example, hide behind buildings, sneaking up to the enemy. Some facilities also have a functional purpose - gas stations, ammunition depots. And they are very fun to blast - for example, in a two-way game, when it is possible to level the enemy's city or to scatter its army!

The sound of the game is also excellent: the noise of the helicopter screw, the squeal of the tank tracks - all this creates an atmosphere of battle. A musical background of the game forms a classic militaristic genre, for example, "March Valkyrie."

But the strongest side of the Return Fire - of course, the game action itself. Both in single and in the mode of 2 players "green" are at war with "brown". Each side can send into battle any of its mobile means - a tank, an armored vehicle (APV), a jeep or a helicopter.

The object of the game is to find the location of the mast with the enemy's flag, to break through to it and, grabbing the flag, deliver it to its base (the last operation can be done only on the jeep).

All this is very difficult. Match with the flag, as a rule, is in the center of powerful defensive fortifications, equipped with heavy artillery, and it is possible to get through to it only with fierce battles. Every second your tank (or whatever you are driving there) can be blown up by a mine. Moreover, the enemy can withdraw his active forces from the search for your flag and arrange for you to hunt for heavily armed helicopters. The choice of means of transportation is very important. At first everything is simple: for reconnaissance, it's best to use a helicopter from which you can locate the enemy flag and choose the shortest routes and the best ways to capture it. But, unfortunately, helicopters are far from the most effective type of weapons in terms of the breakdown of fortifications. Therefore, once you have outlined a plan, you need to return to the base and replace it (the helicopter) with a tank or armored car. Both of these weapons are good for making their way to the flag, making holes in the defense of the enemy, then to grab the flag on the lightly armed jeep and quickly return to the base (be prepared for the enemy helicopters to hunt you, especially at later levels) . From armored cars it is best to shoot down air targets.

In general, you are better at the early, quiet stage of the war to learn a variety of tactical techniques. After all, then, as the game continues, the territory of military operations expands and becomes more complicated. It appears new fortified structures of the enemy, there are numerous islands, connected by fragile bridges. And each weapon has its own characteristics. So, from armored cars it is possible to install mines, and the tank is equipped with rotating gun turrets. It takes time to master this. Genuine skill is the ability to distribute their forces and resources in accordance with strategic problems.

In single player mode, the enemy does not have tanks, armored vehicles and jeeps, and there are only stationary weapons and helicopters that destroy your attacking units. I must say that in this mode the game is organized in a strange way: there are nine tiers, each of which includes four levels, but in the next tier you can go, having won only on one level. So it's not so difficult to get to the end of the game: the main forces go to overcome each individual level, and there is no separate reward for it (although you can improve the time indicator by repeatedly passing through a separate stage in less time than in the previous time) . We can say that in this component, Return Fire is inferior to such technically less perfect games as Syndicate or Cannon Fodder (we mean games for the 3DO system, it's unfortunate that they did not appear on the PlayStation, because they are great, however, that concerns Syndicate, then on the PlayStation there is its sequel - Syndicate Wars).

If you want to get real pleasure from the game Return Fire, - play together. Choose a level higher - and you are waiting for a real military epic, which can last for hours. Jeeps - amphibians are flashing, threatening, but quite vulnerable, avalanche of troops, there are a lot of false towers, and you can move your flag if it is found. But the main thing is to keep the balance between attack and defense, to use vehicles efficiently and in a timely manner (sometimes, to quickly return to the base, they even have to be blown up), in one word - to increase tactical skill.

Why take a flag? - you ask. This is the goal of the game. After all, once you have chosen your troops, you leave the safety of the bunker and begin to search for the enemy tower with the flag. When you find it and destroy it, an enemy flag will appear. The jeep must take this flag and transfer it to its bunker - otherwise the level will not be considered passed. Of course, the enemies will try to stop you. Battles take place on various parts of the earth. You have to meet false towers, without flags. And, of course, you will have to defend your flag, otherwise your friend in the mode of 2 players will certainly capture him. All this fills the game with constant combat actions, which, moreover, occur in a 3D image. It's no wonder that the game has become so popular! To summarize, it can be noted that this game is full of strategy and action, you will have time to destroy more than a dozen buildings that are made at the highest graphic level. Return Fire - an excellent training of your brain, and this part of the body is also worth developing!

Tips

Single player

  1. Use tanks and armored vehicles to clear the way for your Humvee jeep, freeing all roads from your bunker to the flag from the enemy and enemy guns. If you send the jeep too early, it can be destroyed, and if you lose all your jeeps, you will automatically lose the game.
  2. When you fly a helicopter sideways fuel is not wasted, use this.
  3. Never try to turn on a helicopter, getting under heavy fire. First, fly away from the enemies, turn around out of reach of their shots and fly back, ready for a counterattack.
  4. The helicopter is the best means of transportation for reconnaissance. From it you can quickly inspect a large area and establish the location of the flag. Try to destroy the tower in the detected point with the help of rockets to check if it is not fake.
  5. To move faster on the ground, stay on the roads or choose the smoothest possible surfaces. This tactic will allow you to cover the maximum distances with minimal fuel costs
  6. Once surrounded by enemy cannons, drive off to the side or find a shelter, and you can watch their shells strike their own.
  7. Going to your base of equipment or fuel, first destroy all the enemy cannons around it, or they can break the base before you can use it. And do not stay on it too long, otherwise the enemies will fly.
  8. If you have been hit many times, return to your bunker to restore the resources completely.
  9. If you fire an object with a rocket from a helicopter, the next shot from any weapon will destroy this object.
  10. If you place mines too close to each other, then in the explosion of one of them, a chain reaction may begin and a lot of valuable mines will be wasted.
  11. When driving to a campground, throw it with grenades before the enemy soldiers run out of tents. Seeing the soldiers in front of the car, push them before they throw some explosives at you.
  12. Before the beginning of each game, check how many units of vehicles of all types you have and accordingly develop a strategy.
  13. Your screen radar and map in the bunker are invaluable means to achieve victory. Use them more often: they will tell you where you have already been and where else you need to go.
  14. If you are pursued by an enemy helicopter, then you can take advantage of an enemy submarine. Try to fly over it, maneuvering so that its heat catching inducting devices caught the enemy helicopter, not yours.
  15. In order to clear the way for your jeep following the flag, use "armored offensive vehicles" (AAV) - special vehicles, from which it is very convenient to fight and place mines.
  16. First of all, with the help of tanks and AAV, destroy the missile bases so that they will not be bombarded during helicopter reconnaissance.
  17. Your jeep is an amphibian, which means that if there is a water barrier ahead, and the bridge is destroyed, then use it in this capacity (though it loses in speed, which, in general, is understandable).
  18. Completely destroy the structure in which the flag is located, otherwise you will not reach your jeep before it.

2 players

  1. The tank is the best means of transportation for the battle of 2 players. Learn how to quickly use his cannon to start an attack, turning away from enemy fire. Even when there is a chase behind you, you must be able to shoot back to make life difficult even for the best players in the Return Fire.
  2. If the enemy has captured your flag - do not panic. Immediately rush after him in pursuit and destroy his means of transportation. Then release your jeep and select your flag. Then you have several options: you can stick a flag somewhere on the ocean floor, hide it on land, surround this place with mines, or take it to your bunker, and then it will be placed on a new tower somewhere randomly.
  3. Arrange mines on the roof of the enemy bunker and around it. However, do not place mines on the roof when the enemy is inside: if it comes out, these mines will be gone.
  4. If the enemies are on the roof of your bunker, when you exit, they will be destroyed.
  5. In addition to capturing the flag, there is another way to win - destroy all enemy jeeps. Look at the screen where they are at the given time. Arrange traps with mines or ambush.
  6. Destroy the bridges between the place where the enemy is at the moment, and the place where he is heading. Then the enemy will have to confine himself to a helicopter or jeep, which will greatly facilitate your task to control the game.
  7. Often good defense is a good attack. When the enemy invades your territory, chase after him and disable his means of transportation. Minimize the bridges that lead to your territory: let the enemy think twice before going through them.
  8. Never allow a seriously damaged opponent to return to his bunker. War is war: pursue it and kill it!

Hidden Levels

Complete all levels, then on the level selection screen, move to the very top to open additional levels.