Beach Head Desert War

Beach Head is back with Beach Head Desert War which is the third game in the series. This is a bit of a strange one to talk about. You see, in my opinion, this was released to cash in on the Iraq War that was happening at the time. That kind of thing sits a bit uneasy with me, to be honest. Just like the second Beach Head did not do much to improve from the first the same rings true for this game here.

Knuckle Down In Your Bunker

Once again, you are stuck in one spot and you have to mow down wave after wave of enemies. There are 100 or so levels for you to do and there is no story that you are playing through. Beach Head Desert War is very much an arcade-style shooter where what keeps you coming back is trying to beat your high score. It can in short bursts be rather fun and addictive.

Everyone Wants You Dead!

There are tanks, planes, soldiers and so on that, all want you dead and you need to make use of the rather generous selection of weapons to take them all down. The weapons are cool and range from things such as an M60 machine gun, anti-aircraft machine gun, and heat-seeking missiles. So, as you can see you have a great deal of heavy artillery. They keep on coming closer and closer and you need to take them down. This kind of gameplay is a lot of fun if you are in the arcade and have a light gun. Playing at home on your computer with the mouse, makes it get older a lot quicker. Beach Head Desert War is responsive enough, but nothing has really changed in terms of the gameplay from the last Beach Head game! If anything, you could make the argument that this should have been released as an expansion pack for the last Beach Head game rather than being its own full release.

A Somewhat Fresh Coat Of Paint

Not much has improved in the graphics or sound department from the last game. It uses the exact same engine, but it is like they have just redone things so that they can pass as being from the Middle East. It does not look bad or anything like that, but it most certainly has the look of a game that would have been in arcades in the early 00s. It just screams low budget in pretty much every regard in terms of the presentation.

Had this game been released on something like the Sega Dreamcast and been an actual light gun game then I think it may have been a fun arcade-style shooter. On PC, Beach Head Desert War just feels like a very bang average kind of game. It is no better or worse than the Beach Head game that came before it. I would say that if you prefer the Middle East setting, then you are better playing this one. Apart from that, it is pretty much the exact same game.

Pros:

• Some of the weapons are cool
• There are tons of levels
• It is very easy to get into and figure out
• The game can be fun in small bursts
• Trying to beat your high-score has a certain amount of charm to it

Cons:

• It feels like a very, very lazy sequel
• It was released at the same time as the Iraq War which is not cool