Feeling the pressure at the pump lately? Petrol prices escalating out of control? It's time to face facts, within our lifetime we very well may see the Earth's oil supplies come to an end...

But until that day comes, what are we, as the human race, going to do about it? Forget about oil and search for a new, cleaner, greener, renewable high-energy source? Heck no, we're going to fight for every last drop goddammit!

An alternate reality vision of the not too distant future, Frontlines paints a grim outlook for humanity that hits close to home. The Western Coalition is in a fight with The Red Star Alliance of Russia and China for the last of the Earth's oil supplies.

The key to victory is the game's titular frontline mechanic. With two teams at opposite ends of the map, it's a race to claim capture points and push back the enemy to increase your frontline. The only capture points that are vulnerable are those on your frontline, keeping the action tight and focused. Frontlines is all about big battles, with map support for up to 32 players in the one game. It may be half the PC limit, but then the thought of all that lag has me frustrated just thinking about it. Single player and multiplayer alike, the battlefield is swarming with action and you really feel like one soldier in the middle of it all. The 'frontline' mechanic ensures that battles are localised to specific points on the map keeping the fight thick and furious. In 32 player matches, localising the action to specific points makes it feel just one part of a battle of a vast war.

The other key inclusion to Frontlines is the use of Drones: radio controlled vehicles of death! Some are used to go in guns blazing whilst you hide your puny human flesh out of sight and others are used for all-out kamikaze attacks. Sure the concept of R/C's on the battlefield might sound out of place at first but the concept really does make sense and I'll be dammed if it isn't one of the most fun ways around to blow up a pesky tank! Drones add a whole new element to the multiplayer gameplay. You can no longer feel quite so safe in the confines of a heavily armed tank or from that ideal sniper spot. Likewise the use of EMP devices to disrupt drones and vehicles adds further depth to the gameplay.

Curiously though in the single player, it feels odd that most of the time you'll find a drone it will be lying within enemy territory, and yet the enemy never once uses drones against you. Furthermore, in some hideously overlooked game dynamic, when you use a drone, the enemy seems to miraculously forget you even exist as they solely focus their efforts on the drone instead, even if you are standing right beside the enemy. Thank god they're not fighting on our side. The best thing to do is to forget the realism of the situation and implement it tactically into the game to recover from a tight spot.

Single player sees you explore a story-driven campaign as the Coalition pushes the Red Star's frontline right through Russia and into China. While it does feature the odd story-driven objective, such as rescuing a POW, the game basically breaks down into the main gameplay element of capturing points and pushing the frontline until the whole map is dominated. Even if you skip multiplayer entirely, you really do get the feeling that you are just playing out a campaign within the multiplayer, especially with the level design that poses great potential for both sides. The one key difference in single player is that the Red Star won't push back, giving the battles a generally linear feel and removing the dynamic nature of multiplayer.

With your squad fighting all around you, explosions from all directions and large numbers of enemies throughout, you really do get a great sense of immersion within the war. Strangely, around halfway through each mission the game stops and hits you with a load screen for about 15 seconds. It's an annoying disruption that breaks the flow of the game, made all the more annoying as you lose all the inventory you were carrying, forced to continue with a fresh, predetermined set. When you've been hanging onto that airstrike or attack drone waiting for that perfect moment, seeing the screen fade to black is never a welcomed sight. You really feel discouraged to savour your weaponry as a result. Then again, almost every time you find new weapons or equipment, especially drones, you are best using them there and then. If you come across an airstrike just before a raid on an enemy base, you're meant to use it, not save it. There's plenty of weaponry and vehicles lying around so don't stress and just have fun.

The story behind Frontlines explores real world modern fears threatening the world today, fragile international relations, nuclear terror and the fight for oil, but Frontlines just doesn't seem carry the same harshness or realism that was felt in Call of Duty 4. Just like in CoD4 you'll witness a nuclear attack, but it just feels like the next part of the game. It doesn't seem to carry the same weight that Infinity Ward was able to convey. Whilst it starts out with an interesting and thought-provoking premise, don't go in expecting a harsh social commentary on the world by the end.

As far as single player goes, Frontlines really isn't the lengthiest experience around. With just seven missions, each taking around 40 minutes to complete on Normal difficulty, you're only looking at about a five-hour game. Hell it's perfectly possible to complete the entire single player game in under three and a half hours, there's even a slew of achievements if you can. Even on Hardest difficulty, if you are an experienced FPS player, you should be able to knock off the story in under 8 hours.

If you're seriously considering picking up Frontlines though, it's got to be for the multiplayer, hands down. Taking all the elements from the single player that work (drones, frontlines mechanics), removing those that don't (Enemy and Ally AI) and adding the unpredictable human challenge to dynamic game mechanics you have a game set up for some brilliant big team battles. KAOS' (formerly DICE) previous experience with the Battlefield mod scene, especially Desert Combat, really shines through. You are able to choose your preferred fighting style from six different combat classes, be it sniper or shottie, and then chose your sub role within those categories to really customise your impact on the battlefield. The drones are great fun in multiplayer, just remember - unlike single player - the enemy will shoot and kill you if they catch you controlling one. While single player is a one way push across the map, multiplayer has both teams pushing against each other to claim points on the map. The action is intense and always dynamically changing, it makes for some great battles if you can log in to some of the large player matches.

Frontlines is a solid experience, bringing some unique concepts to the FPS genre. At it's core, it represents a clear Battlefield influence, but forcing the battle to specific points reminded me of linking nodes in UT2K4. It's familiar enough to make it easy to jump straight in but unique enough to hold its own. Single player's passable and enjoyable, it just doesn't feel substantial enough to justify a purchase. It won't tug at your heartstrings and leave you with the same memorable impact that Call of Duty 4 did before it and there are some flaws that just ruin the immersion of the game.

Through its faults though, Frontlines is a genuinely fun experience and isn't that all that really matters? Multiplayer is great fun, which will hopefully sport a dedicated community of players. If you're hanging out for Battlefield Bad Company, it can't hurt to give Frontlines a go while you wait.