The squad I belonged to reached a spot we thought would be perfect for an ambush from above. What was left of two buildings in a deserted town looked like a good place to set up squad members on the roofs of each building to shower any passing enemies with bullets the minute they passed through the empty streets. It seemed like a good idea except we didn’t expect our foes to roll in with tanks and make use of their remote-controlled flying drones that caught us by surprise. What was supposed to be a great ambush turned into a fight for survival. Ah, such is the life of a futuristic infantryman in Frontlines: Fuel of War for the Xbox 360.

Taking a page from Electronic Arts’ own Battlefield series, Frontlines features a single-player mode and an even deeper multiplayer aspect with enough weapons, vehicles and features to make the battles feel like major skirmishes. The single-player portion, like its subtitle Fuel of War points out, focuses on the world’s continuing and constant dependency on oil only now things have become so bad that a much bigger war is waged. Taking place in the year 2024, a journalist follows the Stray Dogs squad of the Western Coalition as they battle the forces of the Red Star Alliance. Both sides have a large stake in claiming the last remaining drops of oil and the war is more about survival of the fittest rather than securing financial stakes. Each side is in it until the bloody end.

You assume the role of a Stray Dog squad member as you attempt to keep Red Star forces from claiming secured oil refineries near the Caspian front. From there we are taken through a number of operations along enemy territory in a series of somewhat lengthy missions. It is here that you’ll get a little taste of what you can come to expect in the multiplayer front. You’ll be sneaking into enemy camps using a sniper rifle or taking out tanks using your own mobile armor. You will be destroying enemy SAM sites using demo charges and clearing enemy gun emplacements with the game’s interesting and well-implemented remote-controlled drones (ones that fly and others that can roll underneath tanks).

Still, while the single-player mode offers a number of interesting scenarios and has some challenging mission objectives, this is also the shortest game mode. The story is intriguing and so are the situations but the game hardly gives you a chance to care about the characters. There’s no meaningful and dramatic moments like Call of Duty 4 but rather the single-player mode simply serves as an introduction to major components (as well as introducing the two factions) you will be using in the multiplayer mode.

You can play the game with up to 16-players using System Link but the real action can be found online with up to 32-players on the battlefield at once. Online, there is but one game mode called Frontlines Mode. While this doesn’t sound like quite a lot, Fuel of War makes up for it with its large scale battles and huge maps that are able to support vehicles of the ground and flight variety. You are also free to form your own squad of four that also allows you to communicate directly with your own team. Frontlines Mode is a sort of tug-of-war type match that has one side attempting to claim a hold of enemy territory and vice versa. The trick here is to not only dominate enemy territory but also hold on to it. It’s actually a tricky feat seeing as both sides will have the same loadout as your side.

Online or offline, the battles are intense and there’s never a moment where things are too calm or you’re wondering what to do. Part of the fun of games like this is organizing assaults with other players and making good use of vehicles or the terrain itself. You will quickly find yourself assuming different roles so if you don’t function well as a squad’s sniper you can always become a heavy weapons infantryman. Thankfully, the controls are responsive and easy to get into so anyone can pick up and start playing the game. This makes driving vehicles that range from light ground LVS vehicles to Mohawk helicopters a breeze to navigate. Unfortunately, the game is plagued by a few framerate stutters both during the single-player game as well as online.

Graphically speaking, Fuel of War is not the prettiest Xbox 360 game in town. In fact, the visuals can be a bit on the flat side at times and certain environments just don’t look as sharp as they should look on the console. Still, the game is able to display some decent-looking character models and the vehicles look good. The visual effects are also quite good, making explosions really stand out as well as vehicle damage that literally shatters pieces off vehicles when shot down or detonated. Even the cut scenes are nice but not as good as it could have been on Microsoft’s console.

The game’s sound fairs a bit better than the visuals seeing as the game’s soundtrack fit right in with the game’s theme. You can always add your own soundtrack but the music in the game is very dramatic and is pretty good at setting up the mood. The sound effects are loud as well but you won’t hear any other interesting backgrounds noises such as the wind or even the drones. At least the voice acting is good - especially when it comes to the narrator during the single-player mode.

Frontlines: Fuel of War for the Xbox 360 is a deeply enjoyable shooter with an equally satisfying multiplayer mode that does not fail to hook players in with its over-the-top battles. Much like the Battlefield franchise, Fuel of War thrusts players into deep and massive maps that consistently deliver just the right dose of driving and shooting action fans can ask for in a multiplayer game. Yes, the single-player portion is light and the framerate might take a dip now and then but overall this is a fun shooter you will want to consider buying if you like your battlefields hot and filled with explosive action. 

Gameplay: 8.0
There’s a single-player mode that is short but fun nonetheless. The real treat comes in the form of the multiplayer mode that is both engaging and intense. The controls are simplistic and responsive but there’s a slight framerate problem that shows up occasionally in both the offline and online modes.

Graphics: 7.0
Visually, the game does not take advantage of the Xbox 360 but then again it’s not a very ugly game either. The character models are done nicely enough and the vehicles do look good in action. I just wish the environments weren’t so plain.

Sound: 7.5
The music is appropriately dramatic and militaristic in nature so it plays well with the game’s theme. The voice acting is decent but nothing particularly special and there are some so-so sound effects.

Difficulty: Medium
The single-player game is actually quite challenging in places and there are times when you will feel really overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies and tanks on the battlefield. The AI isn’t sharp but your enemies do have a good aim.

Concept: 8.0
Like the Battlefield games, Fuel of War plays up the vehicles but the new tech toys do a good job of bringing something new to the battles. The maps are also quite massive and there are secret areas aplenty so you might just want to check out the excellent BradyGames’ Official Strategy Guide for the game … it offers a number of good ideas of where you can launch surprise attacks.

Multiplayer: 8.5
The real star of the show is the game’s multiplayer mode that does not fail to provide big thrills with the playing map, weapons, vehicles and action. With up to 32 players online, the battles do feel massive and you can even set up a 16-player System Link game. Sadly, the framerate takes a slight dip when the action gets really hot but it’s not enough to be too distracting.

Overall: 8.0
While not compellingly original, Frontlines: Fuel of War is still a delightfully engaging shooter that is best enjoyed online where the action really thrives. You can consider the single-player experience a tasty morsel but the real meal can be found in the massive maps of the fun multiplayer portion. All in all, Fuel of War is worth the price of admission.