Make no mistake, this game is not good.

It is, however, a throwback to a simpler time. Back when we didn't google for reviews and gameplay footage before we bought a game. Or we didn't buy games ourselves at all.
My mom got this game for me when I was 12. She didn't know anything about video games, but knew that I liked the ones with soldiers in them. I didn't have a point of reference for what made a good game or a bad game, having never really played any good ones at the time. So she brought this home, and I played it. And it was awesome. Sure, the graphics were crap and the voiceacting was laughable and all that, but right then, as I played it, it was the best game ever.

So I saw it on steam the other day. And I bought it, and played it again. The options-menu contains nothing of use, only resolutions that don't actually exist, no texture settings, and a very confusing key-binding section. The game is poorly optimized, and barely runs on a modern PC. The framerate is too high, which screws up the cutscenes and makes voice-clips play atop one another. The game has a cover system, but it's entirely useless since enemies die in one or two hits, and their AI is simplistic, at best. The controls are floaty and fast, and the gunplay is limp. And it's the best. It's an absolutely awesome throwback to a time where I was a kid, and games didn't have to be any good to be fun.

I don't know if you'll enjoy this one if you don't have any nostalgia for it, but if you're looking to waste a few hours with some fun, dumb, poorly made run'n'gun action, I can think of nothing better to play. It's pretty awful, and I love it for that.

I know ima get a lot of dislikes but i enjoyed the game a lot. These types of games brings me back to my good ole days. In 2005 i was playing area 51, evil dead regeneration, and Grand Theft Auto : San Andreas. During this time this game was a blast!! But, as time moves on, graphics get updated, and etc.. We become more picky on what games are fun now. Some go for graphics, some go for story, and etc. I enjoyed the game in 2005 and i enjoyed the game in 2015. Found some bugs, but they werent too big to mess me up.

Pro:
Minimal System Specs
Tutorial is useful
cover system
Driveable cars
keys can be remapped

Con:
Dated graphics that fit nicely with the sub-par story line.
Limited graphics options
Default Controls are terrible
minor bugs

If you are a fan of the old Syphon Filter games (Remember that kick-ass game?) you will probably enjoy this game.
It's nowhere near the quality of Syphon Filter, but gameplay-wise it's very similar.
Note: this game has a crappy Store Page's pictures that 95% probably will send you off.
But actually the game has nice PS2-era graphics in-game.

Now for the actual review:
For someone who grew up with PlayStation 1 and totally loved the Syphon Filter games i found this game fun.
I'm not a graphic-wh*re or harsh on old games on Steam. So because I played this type of games before is maybe the reason i liked this game. So put this in mind please.
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CT Special Forces is a 3rd-person shooter games released in 2005 for PS2 and PC.
The game has hybrid of stealth and action gameplay, you can choose your style doing your missions.

Pros:
- Two playable characters with good personalities each has their own gear and gadgets; different playstyle and gameplay.
- Story is alright, nothing mind-blowing though, but not a crappy one either.
- Game is fast-paced and fluid.
- Dozens of different weapons and grenades types.
- Unique gadgets and hi-tech items. Seriously there are many I've never seen before (i played tons of stealth games)
- Multiple vehicles to ride.
- For a PC port of an old game, the game is very stable and has a good launcher.

Cons:
- Many common wide-screen resolutions are not supported.
- The checkpoint system. It doesn't save before the hard parts, and sometimes there is a long distance between 2 checkpoints.
- The last boss battle is a joke. really easy and lame.
- Game runs a bit faster than normal on modern PCs (~x1.5), but not a critical issue, i had no issue with it in the whole game.
- Many level-designs are more advantageous to the enemy more than you to the point you easily get killed because of bad position.
- The A.I is random. Sometimes it's alright sometimes it's stupid.
- Unfairly hard sometimes.
- Expensive

Conclusion:
The game doesn't deserve a $10 price tag, so if you are thinking to get it, go for a sale.
For a $0.99 i say you could give the game a shot if you like old stealth games like Syphon Filter and Splinter Cell.

For what it is, it is worth it. CTSF:FE is a non-pretentious PS2-era budget third person shooter with some horrific cutscenes and awful voice-over and bland characters (whilst it was nice that they tried to give the 2D GBA saga lads some dimension, the attempt turned out uninspiring).

However, it has that special VHS action b-movie vibe - the plot and atmosphere are sufficiently cheesy, running'n'gunning is fun, and the overall pleasantly easy difficulty curve even offers a few rewarding (albeit a tad overly frustrating for a game of that quality) challenges at some points of the campaign. The graphics ain't too bad for a 2005 console title, levels are pretty varying and have well-design paths and timely checkpoints.

CTSF:FE is indeed a product of its time - a cheap shooter destined to collect dust on the Walmart aisle shelf. Still, despite its jankiness, it is a fun nostalgic title to spend an evening or two if you can grab it on sale for less than two bucks.

I aint gunna lie, the game was never great. But i played this back in the day and you know what? I'm just happy its playable, and runs fairly well (even at a lower resolution). Hell, the physics really makes killing enemies kinda entertaining. Like an over the top 90's action movie

Well worth my hard earned $3. (cant even buy a big mac with that)

This game is actually good.

But has a few very difficult levels... If you like a challenge.
The game has ragdoll physics!
The game has unlockables!
The game has 2 protagonists.
The game has box pushing physics!
The game has breakable lights!
The game has no difficulty settings.
The game has drivable vehicles.
The game has no jump button.
The game has no ending cutscene.
The game has dumb ai.

Fun game.

Recommended.

Old experience, eclipsed by the fame of games of the genre like Call of Duty and Medal of Honor series.

I would say that this game has it's own proposition, but failed to make it due to whatever reason, from low-budgets to low spotlight space.

A very good game still for it's age.

Story - 2
Gameplay - 4
Scenario - 2
Sync - 3
Sense - 3

Final - 2.8/5

The 2000's was an era that saw a plethora of budget ($20) first and third person shooters hit the market to try and capitalise on the genre's growing popularity.

While most of these were incredibly average and some were downright terrible (Conspiracy: Weapons of Mass Destruction, Gun Warrior: The Rider From Nowhere), every now and then, a gem comes out of the budget shooter scene (Serious Sam: The First Encounter, Land of the Dead: Road to Fiddler's Green, Chicago Enforcer).

CT Special Forces is no doubt one of those rare gems. The series originated as 2D run 'n' gun in the vein of Metal Slug, and this entry does an excellent job of converting the adrenaline of that genre into a third person shooter. It's fast-paced: you're constantly on the move, constantly shooting bad guys, even when you're playing as the stealth character. They really nailed the rhythm of the gunplay, and that rhythm transitions seamlessly into the vehicle and freefall levels.

The game's far from perfect, the level design is a mixed bag, but its flaws can be excused by just how fun it is to play and how awesome everything feels.

Just tested the tutorial and first ship level of this game on Windows 11 with a Ryzen 7 7840H CPU and 780M APU. No real issues except for the game hanging on exit. No compatibility modes, vsync, etc. used. Unlike other reviews, for me it just worked.

CT Special Forces: Fire for Effect

Positives:
+ Ok idea
+ Two characters with different strengths
+ Nice abilities (invisibility & vision modes)
+ The vehicles you can use
+ First person view when aiming down sight
+ The scope weapons
+ Some missions are entertaining and fun (especially mission 12 & 13)
+ Ok physics engine
+ Ok music
+ Acceptable voiceacting
+ Good length (about 8-9 hours)

Negatives:
- A lot of bugs and glitches
- Fps stuttering and general instability
- Graphics in general is muddy and looks like its from the year 2000 tops
- Some sounds are weird and quite annoying
- The skydiving missions looks awful and is not any fun
- Difficulty level is all over the place with a lot of difficulty spikes (really frustrating)
- Checkpoints are weirdly placed and are too far apart
- Really bad AI (but will hit you 100% when they "see" you)
- Enemies sometimes shoot thru walls, floors, roofs and obstacles
- The instant killing bazooka boys and snipers (you'll most likely not see them before you are dead)
- Spawning enemies coming out of nowhere
- You cant jump
- Quite a lot of narrow corridor levels
- Almost no use of the snowmobile (what a shame)
- Narrow FOV and no proper widescreen support (not even 16:9 1080p)
- Underwhelming boss battle in the end (too easy and short)

This game was a really mixed bag. I liked what they were trying to do, and some parts they succeded. The two characters with their abilities combined with vehicle driving is at its best really fun. But somewhere a long the way something went a bit wrong. The worst and most frustrating parts are the difficulty spikes. And there is a lot of them. It seems like they couldnt decide if they wanted the game to be easy or hard, so its both.
And the AI is very bad, and can shoot you thru obstacles and often hits you 100%. And the excessive use of the bazooka and sniper enemies on some levels are just laughable. Making it unnecessary hard to progress and feels never ending.
But thats what you get when you buy an old budget game. At least its got some retro feel to it, and there are some funny moments.
So all in all if you can cope with all the problems, maybe youll have a good time. If not, you can just skip it, there is nothing youre missing out on really. I ended up with a thumbs up, but its really a neutral one.

Total Score: 5/10