When I get home people 'll ask me, "Hey Hoot, why do ya do it man? Why? Just some war junkie?" Ya know what I'll say? I won't say a g------ word. Why? They won't understand. They won't understand why we do it. They won't understand that it's about the men next to you, and that's it. That's all it is.

- "Hoot," Black Hawk Down

Oftentimes, war games are all about the action. With bullets flying and explosions peppering the skies, it's simple for developers to miss the camaraderie that takes place between soldiers of the same unit. It's a hard task to translate brotherhood into a game, but that's something Full Spectrum Warrior does extraordinarily well. And it does that without long, drawn out cinemas and awkward dialogue. It does it in the midst of the action, with those bullets flying and explosions booming.

Full Spectrum Warrior puts players in charge of two teams of four soldiers each: team Alpha, and team Bravo. Both teams are placed in the middle of the urban area of a fictitious Middle Eastern country with specific objectives to accomplish. But instead of going in there Rambo-style, it's up to you to coordinate both teams in such a way that they work like one unit. It's also up to you to remember the almost-universal war credo of "leave no man behind."

And that's where Full Spectrum Warrior really differs itself from the rest of the pack. Each life in your squad is valuable. When a bullet rips through one of your people, the game shifts into a zoomed-in slow-motion scene to show you who got hit and how they fall to the ground. It's now up to you to deal with the enemy while making sure you bring your fallen soldier to the medic for attention. The game will not let you continue your mission without them.

Nor would you want to. While there aren't lengthy examinations of each soldier's character, there are enough moments that distinguish everyone from each other. After several missions with the same eight soldiers, you start to know their voices, faces, and attitudes, and that makes you want to work extra hard to keep your team safe.

As a game, Full Spectrum Warrior does extremely well. The controls are intuitive, and after a short training course (that can't be skipped), everything should come natural to you. Controlling two teams isn't as hard as it may sound, and switching between them is as easy as pressing a button. You control their movements and, to a large extent, how and who they attack.

For example, you have team Alpha positioned against the wall, peering out to spot a couple of enemies. Those enemies (known in the game as Zekes) start firing on you, but an icon above your head shows you have safe cover. Unfortunately, they're behind a concrete barrier and have the same luxury. So now it's up to you to take this enemy out in another way.

You pop open your GPS and examine the alleyways and streets of your area. You spot an alley where team Bravo can go around and hit the enemy, but they have to cross the street which is being hit by enemy fire. You give the order to Alpha to use suppression fire, in which bullets go flying at the enemy at such a rate they can't even get up to fire back.

Using the time Alpha has bought for them, Bravo runs into the alley and flanks the enemy, shooting them on your mark with point fire and thus securing the area. Situations that utilize this kind of teamwork are all over the game, and they make Full Spectrum Warrior very addictive, especially in Xbox Live. The only thing you need to know is the online aspect of Full Spectrum Warrior works just like this, and it's one of the best cooperative games out there.

The realism in this game makes it so great, whether online or playing by yourself. For example, this isn't a John Woo movie so ammunition is limited and should be used wisely (though there are a few places where you can recharge your supply). Also, don't expect any Unreal-style guns; your arsenal is limited to your rifles and grenades (frag, propelled, and smoke). While some gamers may complain about the lack of variety, it really adds to the strategy and feel of the game.

The graphics and sound don't disappoint, either. The game is presented in a very realistic way, with each soldier showcasing individual details like sunglasses and animated in a way that puts you in the thick of things. The environments contain things like placards with the enemy dictator's face and Arabic writing, and just wait until sandstorms kick in. The visual engine is definitely one of the best on Xbox, and just brings you further into the battles.

But nothing compares to how the sound grabs hold of you and doesn't let go. From the minimalist soundtrack complete with Persian strings to the individual voices of each soldier, the sound is the true star of the audio/visual show. Hearing the enemies scream out to each other, or listening to the crackle of your radio as the other team is getting hit adds layer upon layer of immersion, so much so that when you're deep in a mission, you start to get spooked by the eerie silence that's bound to be followed by gunfire.

And that's when you'll feel the true beauty of Full Spectrum Warrior. A couple of dead enemies and the echo of last minute's gunfire, taken over by the deafening silence of the long street ahead of you. All you hear is the wind, and all you can think of is what your colonel told you early on in the game. Just keep moving. And so you do.