Though it’s been dormant for 15 years, theDelta Forcefranchise actually had quite a lengthy run back in the day.Delta Forcemade its debut all the way back in 1998, where it garnered a very positive critical reception for its military-sim realism and strategy components.Delta Forcereceived several sequels and spin-offs over the next decade, with its final entry being 2009’sDelta Force: Xtreme 2, a game that received pretty poor reviews.
But against all odds,Delta Forceis making its comeback. Known asDelta Force: Hawk Opsbefore a sudden name change in August,Delta Forceis an upcomingfirst-person military shooterthat’s set to hit Steam early access by the end of the year. And when it does, players will see first-hand howDelta Forceis cleverly avoiding a battle that other military shooters can’t win.
Delta Force’s Multiple Settings Could Be Its Greatest Strength
Call of Duty, Battlefield Are Stuck In a Lose-Lose Situation
For a while now,Call of DutyandBattlefieldhave faced a common problem. When a newCall of DutyorBattlefieldis first announced, one of the first questions fans have is when the game will be set. Both FPS franchises have dabbled with historical settings, present-day settings, far-future settings, and a good few periods in between. While many fans are happy to see these franchises experiment with new settings, a vocal portion of each fanbase tends to criticize the setting, regardless of what it is.
For instance, if the nextBattlefieldorCall of Dutyreturns to aWorld War 2 setting, that vocal portion of the fanbase could criticize the developers for relying too heavily on nostalgia, or claim that players have seen this setting more than enough already. But ifCall of DutyorBattlefieldannounces a futuristic setting, it could be criticized for being too unrealistic. And ifCall of DutyorBattlefieldconfirms their next game will feature a present-day setting, some fans will argue the developers are playing things too safely and not experimenting enough.
Delta Force Has Two Settings In One
ButDelta Forcemay be able to circumvent these troubled waters. In its free-to-play multiplayer component,Delta Forcewill be taking players to the near-future setting of 2035, where they’ll take on the role of a peace-keeping operative sent to dismantle the villainous Haavk Corporation. Players will use a range of modern-day weaponry, gadgets, and vehicles to eliminate opponents acrossDelta Force’s free-to-play multiplayergame modes.
In its single-player component, however,Delta Forcewill be taking players back to the year 1993, dropping them head-first into the infamous Battle of Mogadishu.Delta Force’s single-player campaignwill be a remake of the 2003Delta Force: Black Hawk Downgame, based on the 2001 Ridley Scott-directed movie of the same name. This campaign will see players use weaponry and vehicles authentic to the 1990s conflict.
This dual-settings approach might be a smart way for franchises likeCall of DutyandBattlefieldto cater to all fans. These games could offer a single-player campaign set in one distinct period, and a multiplayer mode set in another, giving fans a taste of both.Call of Dutyalready experimented with this back in 2012 withBlack Ops 2’s campaignand multiplayer mode, with the former jumping between different time settings while the latter stayed in the year 2025.
