While this wouldn't have been a crippling limitation, the game aggravates the situation by trying to drive too much story through these cutscenes. It goes a long way to making you not care about what's going on. Between missions you'll be treated to some pretty sad looking static snapshots and some dialogue. Sadly, the cutscenes and story that tie the missions together are pretty poor in terms of quality. The 3D mission map briefings will also spell out your objectives so there's no confusion. The missions are presented in a very easy to understand format and an in-game map highlights your objectives and any potential obstacle that you might have to overcome. Another mission has you blowing up anti-aircraft guns to pave the way for your own forces to bomb an enemy base.and you have to rescue a scientist from the base while you're at it. In another mission, you'll have to take off from an aircraft carrier and bomb a bridge, sink two battleships and land safely. In one mission, you'll have to gain entrance to a church and snipe an officer as he drives by in his motorcar. The twelve missions are handled very well overall and offer a range of objectives and gameplay opportunities. Big Shot Commando can't even throw a grenade over a lousy fence? Ugh. And while we're on the subject, how is it that Mr. Remember the Mystics from the Dark Crystal? And the chicken-wire fences are impenetrable to bullets.and the vision of enemy guards as well. While it's a nice touch to be able to knock down trees while driving in an armored car, the fact that the uprooted trees pull a fade job. Some of the objects in the game don't behave as you'd expect them to. The character and vehicle models are, with a few notable exceptions, fairly blocky. Unfortunately, there are some severe clipping problems with textures jumping in front of each other like fat kids in a cafeteria. Some of the ships are particularly amazing. And the textures on the characters and vehicles are equally well done. Sunsets, clouds and a brilliant haze effect are gorgeous. I thought that the sky textures were fantastic. The graphics in this game are a real mixed bag as well. While you can eventually get used to the idiosyncrasies of the flight modeling (and the rest of the vehicular models to a lesser extent), there's a steep learning curve here. This isn't much of a problem in basic flight, but just try engaging in a dogfight sometime. The engine that powers the normally planar world of most shooters is ill suited to handle movement in the third plane. This is the first real issue you'll have with the game. The idea of having a cinematic action game where you can run around on foot, drive tanks and fly planes necessarily involves some compromises in the area of physics and control. In terms of concept, this game is as solid as any and in the end may have even been a little overly ambitious. But while it's certainly a great deal of fun, Codename Eagle winds up falling far short of the mark in a few key areas. You do this basically by running around killing folks and blowing up stuff that belongs to them. Your job, as a commando in the Shadow Command, is to operate behind enemy lines to stop the Russian juggernaut. The Revolution never occurs and Russian forces begin the conquest of Europe in the 1920s. His son Pietre steps in and turns Russia into a mighty war machine. The Tsar of Russia is murdered just before the Revolution. You're an action hero in an alternate history setting. For those of you who haven't read the preview for this game, let me give you the quick version.