There are advantages to playing for either side. The Marines have better weapons but the insurgents respawn more quickly (quite prophetic) and can also do a lot of damage with those nasty RPGs. With four different game types -- Battle, Push, Firefight, and Strike -- as well as several maps to work through, there's a lot of variety on tap. The game's Chain of Command gameplay structure -- where Commanders and Cell Leaders issue orders and call out objectives to subordinates -- injects a critical sense of order and discipline into a fighting environment where black sheep tactics will almost always lead to certain death. A unique reinforcement wave system, where respawn frequency is often map-dependent (and where Commanders can call for reinforcements), adds to the challenge.


As with similar realism mods, all of INS's real-world weaponry is factory stock with no magic crosshairs or targeting aids. Unless you have a scoped rifle, you'll have to aim through some old-fashioned iron sights and prepare for the inevitable recoil and weapon shake. There's also no map to guide you to your objectives (although a simple compass overlay will point you toward your squad leader) and no on-screen kill confirmations to inform you if your shot found its target. The game's built-in (and extremely useful) voice-comms feature is proving itself to be a must-have tool.

All seven maps in INS are wonderfully intricate and detailed. Bombed-out vehicles, checkpoint barricades, region-specific buildings, and dusty squares effortlessly transport you to those lethally dangerous yet oh-so-familiar Iraqi environments we watch on the six-o'clock news each night. Unfortunately, you can't hop into an armed Humvee and ratchet up the fight because the INS mod doesn't support vehicular interaction (of course, that also means the Insurgents can't employ suicide car bomb attacks so that's probably a good thing). Curiously, there are Saddam Hussein posters on almost every wall and building surface which is pretty strange considering the Iraqis ripped all of them down over four years ago.

Finding multiplayer partners is a piece of cake because the Insurgency add-on has grown to become Steam's most popular third-party mod. New servers are cropping up every day and, with dozens of 16-to-32-player games to select from, you can easily pick and choose your own gameplay flavor. I also didn't experience any significant lag or warping issues during my week with the game but in fairness, I spent much of that time spectating as a recently deceased Marine anxious to respawn (damn snipers!).

Discipline, teamwork, and a respectful appreciation for military tactics can win a lot of battles and nowhere is this more evident than in Insurgency: Modern Infantry Combat. This mod should dominate the HL2 add-on world for a long time to come.

Addendum

The people behind the INS mod are nothing if not proactive. Shortly after the 646MB mod hit the Net, a comprehensive 96MB patch followed. You'll need this update if you want to join any of the current online servers.

While you're at it, check out Fargo's handy Getting the Most From Insurgency article.