14 DAY TRIAL // 
Insurgency first saw the light of day as a special mod for Half-Life 2 back in 2007 and, after delivering a popular experience to shooter fans, developer New World Interactive has now released Insurgency as a standalone game.
The new title promises to not only bring back some of the most popular modes from the initial mod, but also to add a variety of new ones, including a cooperative experience for those who want to fight with others against AI-controlled enemies.
Does the new Insurgency deliver on its goals or should it be quelled? Let's find out.
Ahead of Insurgency's launch today, January 22, developer New World Interactive made it available as part of Steam's Early Access section, giving fans a chance to help shape the final build. This was a great idea, especially since the developer has constantly released updates to improve the experience, drastically changing major aspects like presentation or gameplay.
The final version is a pretty good first-person shooter that emphasizes above all realism, reminiscent of Red Orchestra, for example, while setting the action in various Middle Eastern locations.
Players can engage in online competitive or cooperative matches and even go through a solo training course.
The cooperative experience pits a certain number of players against AI-controlled opponents. It includes quite a few modes, like Checkpoint or Outpost. These task players with various goals, such as surviving in front of enemy waves, but also progressing through a map and securing different checkpoints.
The co-op experience is quite fun, especially since most players have realized that working together is key in such an unforgiving realistic experience, where one bullet can easily take you down.
The competitive experience is much more varied, including different modes, like Push, which makes a comeback from the original mod, but also Search & Destroy, Strike, VIP, or Firefight. All these different game types offer quite varied experiences and will keep you on your toes. They play across seven different maps that are quite big, largely to accommodate the number of possible players (up to 32).
There are two actual teams, in the form of the Security and the Insurgents, and each is divided into different squads, some handling the assault, others the support, and so on. You can pick various roles in each squad, so there won't be one filled with sharpshooters, for example.
You can modify your loadout based on supply points, which allow you to unlock new weapons or attachments for existing ones. Bear in mind, however, that the weight of a gun and your gear make a big impact on your stamina and mobility, so you might not want to get the beefiest weapons if you plan on having an agile character.
As I said above, communication is key in Insurgency, especially since there is no mini map, no enemy radar showing you nearby foes, and no damage indicator to show from where you're being shot at. In case you don't have a microphone, the game features various tools that allow you to mark certain areas, request attacks on a certain position, and so on.
Insurgency is not an easy experience to get into, especially if you've only played more forgiving shooters in the past. Even so, it's deeply rewarding to see missions carried out successfully while cooperating with all your allies.
It does have quite a lot of annoying moments, especially since you'll most often be killed by enemies that are hidden from your sight, but clever uses of smoke grenades, flash bangs, or even rocket launchers will make sure your respawn isn't wasted, especially since most modes have a tight restriction on it.
There are still some bugs, however, especially in terms of animations, as well as some random crashes, but New World Interactive has already pledged to solve all of them via constant updates, just like it did during the Early Access period.
In terms of visuals, the game looks relatively good but the fact that it insists on Middle East locations means the color palette is drowned by brown, yellow, and other such hues that get tiresome after a while. Some textures also don't look all that great, but important things, like gun models, look quite good.
The soundtrack itself isn't that impressive, but special mentions go to the actual sound effects. These are really good, featuring different school sounds near an abandoned facility, or market ones while you're shooting through various stalls. All of them make the maps feel alive.
Conclusion
Insurgency is a tough but fair multiplayer first-person shooter. Those who liked the original mod will find a lot of value in the game, while those looking for a challenge of their skills have enough to enjoy here. There's still a lot of room for improvement, but lots of updates and new content have already been promised by New World Interactive.
