The beta of Insurgency, a total conversion MOD for Half-Life 2, is now available for download. Set in urban hotspots like Almaden, Haditha and Baghdad, it's an attempt to simulate the intense urban skirmishes currently taking place throughout Iraq. From the website:
"Insurgency will take you across the modern battlefield, engaging in intense firefights and battles as a member of either a highly organized and equipped conventional force (US Marines), or as an unconventional fighter that uses a combination of firepower and bravery to take on their sometimes overwhelming opponent (Insurgents)."
The emphasis is apparently very much on teamwork, not just as a tactical decision but a necessity for survival - "every window, doorway or road block is a potential ambush point and every object on the street needs to be watched with care." To underline this, the game features a morale system, which - I suspect - places handicaps on soldiers cut off from the line of command.
It's an interesting concept, following the Desert Combat mod for Battlefield, as well as retail releases like Conflict Desert Storm and the less specific Battlefield: Modern Combat (where you combat a fictitious Middle East Coalition). You may also be aware of Kuma\War a free 'educational/political' shooter that re-creates key battles from contemporary warzones.
I wonder if the military welcomes these attempts to explore the Iraq conflict. In some ways, they may show something of the ground-level reality of the situation, perhaps encouraging empathy with the armed forces among generally apathetic young adults at home. Alternatively, experiencing a simulation of urban conflict, the confusion, the near-impossibility of adequately assessing all possible threats, the sheer vulnerability of these young men and women, may well contrast heavily with the official messages coming out of the Middle East (and perpetrated by certain news channels).
Anyway, the beta is available for download here. You'll need a copy of Half-Life 2. A post on Destructoid points out some teething problems, but says the mod has lots of potential.
