The story behind Xtreme 2 is a very thin one, with a quasi inexistent plot, missions that make no sense and fail in developing into a cohesive narration capable of carrying the game. Even the term "campaign set" sounds like an overstatement, but if we are to refer to those missions in this way, than we must affirm from the beginning that it is structured in two big chapters. You are either hunting down drug dealers or terrorists that are trading guns all over the world, but in the absence of an intriguing story it's impossible to get immersed in the war atmosphere.

When your team is sent to deal with a threat, the only information you receive comes from the mission's briefings and those reports are always trying to induce the feeling that your task is of crucial importance. In the absence of any cut scenes and with terrorists bases that look more like boy scouts camps, I doubt anyone will feel the pressure and completing a scenario can't generate any feeling of accomplishment. The bottom line is that these missions pile up in a campaign that lacks coherence and will eventually look like a bunch of skirmishes bound together, just for the sake of having a singleplayer.

Add to this the numerous flaws that cripple most of these missions and you'll quickly get the bigger picture, one that can weed off even the most dedicated fans of the Delta Force franchise. Perhaps the most appalling one is the lack of information about the way you should complete a certain scenario, as Xtreme 2 frequently keeps you guessing about what to do next. Even after you've eradicated the enemy presence off the map you still won't get the mission done, unless you destroy some abandoned trucks or equipment that looks more like a pile of trash.

Path finding is terrible and the minimap is more of a nuisance, since you can be standing exactly on the spot indicated there and still be yards away from the objective. Its only real use is to point toward the right direction, preventing you from getting lost in the vast areas you are sent to explore before laying siege to the enemy base. Speaking of the huge, boundless maps we can't fail to  mention that these are nothing less than a sniper's paradise, where enemy marksmen can hide and make use of the insanely accurate weapons.

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Since you will rarely get the chance of spotting them before they do, especially if you are not wielding a sniper yourself, the result will frequently be an untimely death that sends you to the last checkpoint. While death is temporary in Delta Force: Xtreme 2, the frustration caused by it is permanent, as you'll be forced to sprint again for a long distance, only to be instantly killed by the same concealed sniper. Of course you can use the binoculars and make a long detour through the forests, but since these actions will double the length of the already boring scenario, few will resort to these life saving methods.

Weaponry is equally diverse and unsatisfying, because although you've got over a dozen of guns to choose from, the sniper will remain the best choice regardless of the opposition or the mission objective. Accuracy is generally regarded as a good thing in fire guns, but when this feature is being risen to absurd values in a videogame, the consequences will invariably be irritation and discontent. Realism suffers deeply due to the fact that you can easily kill enemies over a mile away with a single burst of a machine gun, even when you can't even see the target clearly.

Grenades should have been a worthy addition to this FPS and help you clear fortified enemy positions, but unfortunately due to the clumsy handling they will rarely cause the expected damage. While it's virtually impossible to kill an advancing infantry force with a grenade, since you need perfect timing and a good deal of luck, vehicles seem to be immune to the damage inflicted by these puny explosions. On the other hand, firing a short burst into an ordinary, unassuming computer will result into a blast of epic proportions that will instantly wipe out all the residents of that building, including yourself.

Some of the most entertaining moments are caused by the brain dead AI controlled units, friends and foes alike who frequently fail in reacting to some of the most common situations. Killing the driver of a motorcycle or a Jeep won't have any impact on the other passengers, who are happy to wait patiently on their sits until you blow a hole through their useless heads. Furthermore, if you storm a building and start firing upon a group of enemy soldiers, there is a good chance that at least one of them will ignore the danger and keep staring at a wall.

In order to reach distant objectives you can steal enemy vehicles after eliminating the driver and cruise through the vast maps, but the experience is a forgettable one. Cars and motorcycles alike are not reacting in a a convincing way to your commands, and crashing them into other vehicles or buildings has no impact on either sides. It's virtually impossible to kill the driver of a speedy motorcycle for instance, but after firing upon these vehicles long enough they'll eventually catch fire and explode. Running over an enemy soldier triggers an awkward animation but the result is really hit or miss, as the victim will sometimes ignore the incident and swiftly resume his activity.

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Conclusion:

Some values should be praised and trying to preserve them is not necessarily a bad thing,  but without adding new features and visually improving the game in a consistent manner, you simply can't expect to receive positive reviews. Delta Force: Xtreme 2 is more or less a failure but it is not completely useless, serving as a good example for developers who are thinking that a game can solely dwell on some nostalgic hardcore fans, who'll buy it no matter what.

Gameplay: 66

Overpowered weapons and retarded AI make a deadly combination that can only lead to long tedious missions, while carrying out the same dreary objectives won't make any scenario appealing. The story is rubbish and completing a campaign comprised of repetitive missions that look more like skirmishes, won't increase the lasting appeal of Delta Force: Xtreme 2. You've got to be a hardcore fan of the franchise who doesn't give a damn about novelty to finish the campaign set and wish for more.

Graphics: 62

This is one ugly game with maps that look flat and unappealing, enemy soldiers that are pretty much alike and guns which seem to have been imported from a 20^th century videogame. Vehicles function badly and look even worse, structures are mostly grey and unpolished both inside and on the exterior and explosions are underwhelming both as aspect and effect.

Sounds: 65

Since there are no cut scenes at all, voice acting is limited to the nonsense enemy soldiers utter in different languages, usually impossible to understand. The music is not that bad but since there are just a couple of tunes that are playing all the time, it is easy to give up listening fast and switch to your playlist. Guns being fired sound weird and unconvincing, with no resemblance to the real life counterparts, as well as the explosions caused by barrels of flaming vehicles.

Multiplayer: 67

Just as the previous titles in the franchise, Delta Force: Xtreme 2 was destined to be played mostly online or at least together with friends in the co-operative or deathmatch mode. At least in theory, it should be much better to share the fun with dozens of multiplayer enthusiasts, on the large maps that present you with the chance of performing large scaled operations. Unfortunately it's most unlikely to join a full game and you'll basically wind up searching for concealed snipers all over again, which is anything but compelling.

Hardware: 70