CrossfireX
CrossfireX
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that CrossfireX is a downloadable multiplayer first-person shooter for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S. There's a single-player campaign divided into two chapters that must be played through the Xbox Game Pass or purchased separately for $9.99 each. It also comes with an extensive digital store and microtransactions. Many of the game's weapons and characters are either earned or bought with a digital currency, and there are special cosmetics that can only be purchased with real money exchanged for another digital currency. The story follows two military factions trying to prevent each other from mastering a supernatural technology that would mean ultimate victory for whoever wields it. Both the multiplayer and campaign task players with shooting soldiers with minimal blood splatter. The campaign contains frequent profanity with words like "bastard," "a--hole," and "s--t."
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Cheap, Inept, China fodder
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What’s It About?
Two private military corporations, Global Risk and Black List, are armed with formidable legions, bases, and equipment in CROSSFIREX. While the former wants to gain more power and control to stop terrorism at all costs, the latter sees this unregulated army as a threat to the free world, and is willing to stop Global Risk at all costs, too. The "Operation Catalyst" campaign puts players in the boots of a Global Risk squad of three, which uncovers an illegal Black List operation that could spell the end of the world with a secretive, supernatural technology. What does this technology do? What are Black List and Global Risk hiding? Another campaign called "Operation Spectre" follows up on these events with players switching to Black List and striking back at Global Risk with an unexpected advantage.
Is It Any Good?
This is a first-person shooter that is, at its core, about multiplayer that tries to streamline that experience with simple modes, but fails with a shocking lack of polish. CrossfireX looks like a video game from over a decade ago with dreadful aiming, slippery movement, and inconsistent design. There are two multiplayer sections called Modern and Classic, with the second stripping away mechanics like sprinting and aiming, but this makes wrestling with the controls even worse. Standard modes like Deathmatch are expected, but all the rest lack originality and have major imbalances in modes like Spectre and Nano. On top of being a struggle to play, CrossfireX has a shockingly minimal amount of equipment unlocked from the start. Players can earn in-game currency called GP to unlock weapons, attachments, and characters, but progress is slow going and barely helped by completing challenges. The game teases players with several tabs and menus to purchase items with the currency, along with a separate currency to buy "Premium" cosmetics. Because of how extensive this monetary system is, it comes across as the foundation of this title, with a shell of a game hastily built around it.
The two campaigns (that must be purchased separately) are about three hours each, and while the controls are tolerable, that's not saying much compared to shooters with superior stories and gameplay. Levels consist of repetitive shootouts with little variety or depth. There are novelty mechanics like the "Combat Breaker" that slows down time for the player, but this adds no strategic value even on the hardest difficulty. Collectibles provide decent backstory to the ongoing story, which has rich political themes in its setup and some standout actors in its cast. Sadly, the story doesn't explore either in any compelling ways, instead pursuing sci-fi twists amid tired clichés with no exciting or emotional payoffs. CrossfireX may sound promising with its premise and dazzling cutscenes, but these fall away to reveal bad stories and gameplay in the campaigns, which are meant to be supplementary to tactical multiplayer goodness that is anything but.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about spending money in online stores. Since these stores are designed to subtly entice players into spending money to progress faster and look cooler, how can you be careful engaging with these monetary systems? What are some ways you can compare and contrast items to see what can be earned, what can be bought, or both? How can you estimate how your time or money is best used—and if it's well spent?
Loyalty and courage are highly valued virtues, so how can you look out for your friends and family when they're in trouble? What are some ways to build trust and friendship between you and others?
How can you hold a respect and admiration for others above you without being blind or dismissive when they need to be held accountable? What are some ways you can be unbiased and look for the truth without letting personal feelings and allegiances become problems?
Game Details
- Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
- Pricing structure: Free
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Smilegate
- Release date: February 10, 2022
- Genre: First-Person Shooter
- Topics: Adventures, Friendship, Science and Nature
- ESRB rating: M for Intense Violence, Blood, Language, In-Game Purchases
- Last updated: February 17, 2022
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