Download the full version of Delta Force 1 (1998)

**Editor's Rating:** 4.4/5

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Overview

If you liked playing army as a kid, you’ll love NovaLogic’s Delta Force. Players use military combat skills to outfox and outgun enemies in single play or multiplayer modes. Anyone can jump right into a game. It’s so easy that training missions are not even offered. But don’t expect a point-and-click arcade-style fragfest. It will take a little time to master the environment of Delta Force.

Although this 3D shooter wasn't the most popular, mainly because of the lower graphics, I really enjoyed it. Probably because it was one of the first to have team missions and very distinct objectives such as assassinations, rescuing hostages or protecting leaders. Delta Force 1 was a game that emphasized on game play rather than cutting edge graphics. It was released in 1998, a year before Counter Strike.

Download

Be the good guy and buy a legal copy of Delta Force from Novalogic ($10 instant download only) or a used CD from Amazon for as low as $0.50.
Be the pirate and download it for free from The Pirate Bay:
- directly to your computer (beginers)
- .torrent file
- The Pirate Bay html (description and comments)

Installation

So you downloaded the DELTA FORCE iso file, now what? You mount the CD image file with Power ISO, or Daemon Tools, or Nero InCD or any other CD/DVD virtual drive application. Mounting the iso file is just like inserting a real Delta Force CD into your computer's drive. Here is a video showing you how to mount disc images with Power ISO.

Gameplay, Controls, Interface

Each of the six campaigns contains about eight or so missions. Upon completing the first mission, you might see one or two more appear from which to select. Complete one of those and a few more appear. I like this nonlinear approach.

Typical missions put the Delta Force squad capturing an enemy base or infiltrating a camp. Some missions are quite unique though. My favorite was rescuing two downed chopper pilots who must survive in order to complete the mission. The convoy escort mission had great potential but tended to bog with all the activity. There is quite a rewarding feeling after completing a mission. However, I really found myself wanting to command the other members of my squad to pass off some of the heavy lifting.

In the distance you might see the ubiquitous flock of birds which seem to be in all games now regardless of the genre. Everything is peaceful until either you attack or are spotted. When the first bullet impacts at close range, you kind of stumble and see red. The next hit brings you down.

I rather enjoyed lobbing grenades into single file columns of enemy troops and watching their frightful reactions. Enemies scatter like ants when gunfire interrupts them. They begin running and ducking and and dodging fire. They also shoot back. I experienced a good sense of being pinned down as often seen in war movies.

How each Delta Force weapon benefits you depends on the task at hand. In every mission you can customize your package by choosing a primary weapon, secondary weapon, and sidearm. Let’s look at the weapons and their uses:

Knife—works well as a stealth weapon or last resort.
Special Operations .45 Pistol—powerful, accurate, good for sudden close encounters.
High Standard .22 Pistol—ineffectual, but a quiet close range gun.
Barrett Light .50 caliber Sniper Rifle—best long range cherry picker.
M249 SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon)—the most powerful gun, great for smashing up convoys.
M4 5.56 Carbine Assault Rifle—the most versatile gun, has a grenade launcher and scope.
M40A1 Sniper Rifle—useful for accurate, short range sniping.
Heckler & Koch 9MM MP5 SD Submachine Gun—has a silencer, stealth over firepower.
Grenade—deadly but shrapnel makes it dangerous at close range.
LAW (Light Antitank Weapon)—penetrates armor and about anything else.
M18 Claymore Mines—nice but not very useful since most missions have the player in an offensive rather than defensive role.
Satchel Charges—will destroy anything if you can get to the target, plant the charge, and escape without being hit by enemy fire.

Multiplayer Support

When it was released, after trying my first network game on NovaWorld (NovaLogic’s free servers), I was amazed at how quickly two or three hours passed. Delta Force offered a variety of online gameplay modes: Cooperative, Deathmatch, King of the Hill, and Capture the Flag. NovaLogic had organized formation of squads and even sponsors tournaments. I think there might still be Novalogic servers for Delta Force 1 online, but you must install this network patch.

The only frustration I had was that there often seemed to be nowhere to hide from distant but deadly sniper fire. Numerous times I caught bullets while running for cover. I had no idea where my assassin had been. I discovered that crawling made me slightly stealthier, but slowed movement.

Graphics

NovaLogic’s Voxelspace graphics engine has been a stumbling block for some, a joy for others. Whether it’s Quake 2 or Spec Ops or Rainbow 6, graphics all began to look alike. Most anyone with retro-gaming experience will notice the sort of artistic look of the Voxelspace 3 engine. "Classy but different" best describes Delta Force’s look. The crux is that Voxelspace technology (3D pixels) allows greater distance and sloping terrain.

In the third-person view, you see the player’s head and torso move up and down. At times a beautiful purple sky covers a snowy terrain. On a clear day you can see cumulus clouds gracefully moving overhead. Weapons, vehicles, and structures all have a defined look.

Audio

A big positive for the game was the sound quality. I noticed a more military-style inventory of sounds than one might expect from the average first-person shooter. From the faint chirping of birds and breezes blowing, to the terrifying screams and gurgles of unfortunate victims, the sounds draw the player into the Delta Force world. Enemies yell in their native tongues while attacking you.

System Requirements

Windows 95/98/NT, P166 MMX (PII recommended), 32 MB minimum (64 recommended), 4X CD-ROM drive, Windows 95/98 video card, mouse.

Internet play with 16-32 players via NovaWorld servers requires Internet service provider, direct serial play requires null modem and cable (two players), modem play requires minimum 14.4 Kbps modem (two players), network play requires IPX network adapter (up to eight players) minimum DirectX 5 (DirectX included). Only one CD is required for non-Internet multiplayer games.

Documentation

In the typical NovaLogic spirit of user-friendliness, a concise and easy-to-understand manual is all the player needs. Since the game itself is not vastly complicated, I can’t imagine a need for more. The most important items are the explanation of key commands and description of weapons.

Bottom Line

To my surprise, Delta Force is one of the most fun games I have re-played this year (just started ). Whether or not you became bogged down in the tedious mission planning of Rainbow Six or annoyed by the controls in Spec Ops, Delta Force will entertain you. Add the ability to issue team orders, graphics acceleration, and a mission builder; and this title would be nearly perfect.