The maps seem to be designed to appear like realistic locations more than as arenas for gameplay to take place in. It isn’t just that the maps are visually unimpressive, but that they don’t feel as thoughtfully designed as some other games. Visually, the game isn’t super impressive, possessing that distinctive look of the source engine in terms of environments and geometry. The majority of the maps take place in urban middle eastern environments, and overall just feel too similar. The game features a decent number of maps, but none come across as being especially memorable, and too often they are hard to even tell apart. When looking at the core pillars of what makes a multiplayer shooter great, you’ve got the actual shooting mechanics, the game modes, and the maps you play them on, and unfortunately Insurgency isn’t quite as strong in the latter department as it is in the two preceding areas. Having weapons that are enjoyable to fire is one of the most important aspects of a first person shooter, and Insurgency completely nails it. Recoil also feels just right, and the different types of weapons all sound and feel different. The game has absolutely phenomenal sound effects that give the weapons a satisfying punch when you fire, but it’s also little things that really stand out, like the subtle and believable way the weapon sways while you move. Weapon handling is one of those intangible things in shooters that can be hard to quantify, but you know when it feels it right, and it definitely feels right in Insurgency. Not all of the modes are as unique as firefight, but even the ones that are typical FPS game types are enjoyable due to the tactical gameplay and solid weapon handling. Rounds in this mode can be very brief or last quite a while, with hard swings and a tug-of-war feeling to the back and forth nature of the mode. We had instances where only a single teammate remained against overwhelming odds, but he managed to capture a territory and bring our entire time back into the fight, suddenly shifting the odds back into our favor. This gives the mode an outstanding intensity, where the tide can turn in the blink of an eye. The twist is that every time you capture a territory all your teammates respawn. The goal of this mode is to either capture all three territories on the map or eliminate the entire enemy team. The standout mode is “firefight”, which is a mix of “last team standing” and a territory capture mode. On the topic of modes, the game has good variety of different game types, though interestingly there is no deathmatch. This gives the game an outstanding sense of urgency and brings the need for careful and tactical play to the forefront.Ĭomplimenting the tension the fragility of your character provides, the majority of the game modes in Insurgency feature either limited or no respawns, so staying alive is of paramount importance.
Weapon damage is handled much more realistically than most other shooters, meaning a single shot will more often than not be enough to kill you. The obvious aspect of Insurgency that really lends to the realistic feel and distinguishes it from most other multiplayer shooters is the damage model. The game’s prime focus is to provide a realistic portrayal of modern combat with objective based gameplay and an emphasis on teamwork, and in that respect it is a success. The core fundamentals of what Insurgency aims to be are very similar to those of the original mod.
Despite a failed a kickstarter campaign back in 2012, the game has now made it to full release on Steam.
Indie developer New World Interactive, which consists of members of the original mod team, has brought the concept back, now as a standalone game simply titled Insurgency. The mod placed an emphasis on realism and teamwork, and cultivated a loyal fan-base of dedicated players.
Insurgency: Modern Infantry Combat was a free multiplayer first person shooter mod for Valve’s Source Engine that was released on Steam back in 2007.