Conflict Desert Storm II: Return to Baghdad is the newly released sequel to last year's original sleeper hit Conflict Desert Storm. As with the original game this sequel follows suit as a 3rd person, tactical, squad-based shooter. Considering the current state of events overseas in Iraq many may be surprised to learn that Conflict Desert Storm II is set during the 1991 Gulf War. Conflict Desert Storm II does boast a few much needed fixes over the prequel and some new weapons and items for your squad to utilize. The question is will this be enough to satisfy those who considered the past effort in this series to have been mediocre?

In Conflict Desert Storm II players are put in command of four soldiers from either Delta Force or the SAS. There's not really much of a difference between the two except for the uniforms and voices. Players are allowed to give orders, switch to another teammate on the fly by using the D-Pad, use mounted machinegun positions, and even use a few vehicles. The interface in Conflict Desert Storm II is very simple and straightforward. Giving orders is done by holding the L trigger down and then a face button will issue orders ranging from moving soldiers to a selected point, telling them to fire at will, follow, or hold their ground. It's simple because who really wants to search complex command menus in the heat of combat? Your soldiers are unique in that each one excels in some combat skill. Foley for instance is your sniper (and many times your savior), while Jones is the demolitions expert, etc. Each also comes equipped with their own specialized load out of weapons and equipment, but during the course of the game you will find newer, better weapons that your team can use. One thing to remember is to give soldiers weapons that they are proficient with.

Graphically, Conflict Desert Storm II does not come close to showing off the Xbox’s power. Truthfully, the four soldiers the player controls are the best looking models in the whole game. Enemy soldiers, for the most part, look exactly alike. While the environments don't look so hot either, I also cannot complain too much about them since it is supposed to look like a war zone. It's just that the textures are so low resolution whenever you get close to objects in the surroundings. Just be prepared for some bland looking interiors in Conflict Desert Storm II. There are some nice effects that help the game's atmosphere out though. One is the dust storms and smoke that truly hinders the player's vision. Also little effects like shooting the sandbags near a mounted machinegun will produce puffs out dust and sand. Maps are full of partially destroyed buildings and smoking cars or tanks. There are plenty of places to take cover and pick off enemy soldiers as well.

AI in Conflict Desert Storm II is a hit-or-miss issue. For the most part your team reacts well to their surroundings. Other times your team is just plain blind and oblivious to the enemies' presence, even when they are no more than 20 feet away. Another gripe is that the player can give a better weapon to one of their soldiers that fits into his specialization and he won't use it unless the player takes control. Why isn't the AI smart enough to use the better weapon? The player controlled squad's AI is good enough to take out a room of enemies, but not smart enough to take cover under heavy fire and sometimes won't run from a grenade. The same things can be said about the enemy soldiers too though. The player can aim a RPG at an enemy soldier and that soldier will run away in fear when he sees you, but that same soldier may or may not run from a grenade that lands near his feet. It's just those inconsistencies that hurt the game play of Conflict Desert Storm II. And yes, those same inconsistencies WILL get your squad killed many times during the course of this game.

In a nutshell, Conflict Desert Storm II is not a bad game. In fact, it is a considerable improvement over the original Conflict Desert Storm. There are some things that still needed to be changed such as tanks only being able to take RPG damage from the rear. Auto-aim is frustrating to use and is best left turned off. The pros are that Conflict Desert Storm II is the best REALISTIC 3rd person tactical squad shooter right now. Location damage is included in this game which means headshots kill. The atmosphere of being in a war zone is presented very well. And while there are some AI issues, players can still pull off some really nice tactical firefights. The game experience is much better when there are four players working together in Co-Op mode. That said, even the great Co-Op mode doesn't make Conflict Desert Storm II worth the high price tag of $49.99. Now, $29.99 would've been more reasonable for such an unpolished product with a lot of potential such as this.