world in conflict

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Tags: game review, world in conflict

Posted on 06 December 2007

ReviewColumn's rating :
5 stars

World in Conflict If I were to describe this game in one word, it would be gorgeous. Released only recently in September by Massive Entertainment, this real-time tactical (RTT) game has flown through the charts with it's unique gameplay which I have personally experienced myself. The backstory of World in Conflict is simple enough. What if the USSR did not collapse in 1991? What if they decided stop fighting a cold war and start real one? The answer is in this game, where in 1989, USSR forces invade both Western Europe as well as Western America.

The gameplay itself is a chip off the old block, as previously seen in Massive entertainment's older games, such as Ground Control. They exclude the usual doldrums of having to collect resources and build troops, instead jumping straight into the action. Before you start a multiplayer game, you choose a role between the Infantry, Armour, Support or Air, each having a different selection of units to choose. In the game, you are given an amount of Reinforcement points over time, in which you are expected to utilise these points fully to purchase troops, which are then flown into the battlefield for your usage. You start at a certain amount of tactical points, in which you cannot be given anymore. As you lose troops, the cost of those troops are slowly given back to your pool of Reinforcement points, allowing you to bring fresh units back into the fray sooner or later. This way, the game limits the number of troops one could be able to bring into the battlefield, as well as to keep a constant supply of them going. Thus, in this game, there is really no way a force could outnumber another, making the emphasis on proper tactics, rather than overwhelming numbers, a usual strategy in most generic RTS's. As a RTS gamer myself, this new system is a breath of fresh air from the collect-build-attack styles of traditional RTS's, such as Command and Conquer 3.

In addition to the usage of "Reinforcement points" to bring fresh troops into the battlefield, there is also an important aspect of the game called "Tactical Aid". In this case, anytime you do a positive action in battle with your troops, for example, killing an enemy unit, or capturing command points, you gain a certain amount of tactical aid. With this type of currency, you are able to purchase a handful of out-of-screen help. For example, with a certain amount you can call in an airstrike to pulverise a bunker which has been stalling your forces for quite some time. Tactical aid in World in Conflict is powerful enough to make or break a push, with arsenals ranging from simple paratroopers and punishing artillery strikes, to the devastating tactical nuke.

The graphics are no let down either, forming a beautiful environment to battle in. Even on my computer, which I admit is a lower end one, the visuals are spectacular, mostly the endless barrage of explosions on screen. One of the few sights which visibly impressed me was the tactical nuke. At first, you note a small missle heading towards the targeted area, which, upon impact, would result in a blinding white flash completely enveloping your screen. Following that, a visible mushroom shaped cloud would now loom over the targetted ground. Even the aftermath is nothing to overlook, trees would become blackened, the ground scorched, buildings disintegrated. All in all, it provides a destructive battlefield, one which could quickly turn from a peaceful city or plain, to a land of ashes from a few minutes of battle.

One thing which appeals to me, is the fact that World in Conflict, especially in multiplayer games, has a strict limit of Reinforcement points, resulting in a limit of troops one could control at any point of time. Essentially, this creates World in Conflict as a game which relies mostly on teamwork between the players, rather then an experienced player being able to be a soloist and single-handedly wipe the opponent. All players and all roles have to work together if they were to achieve victory in large 8 v 8 games. The focus on controlling a small section of units, rather than an entire army portrays the player but a small actor in the war or enormous proportions, another major difference from traditional RTS's, where players preferrably pit themselves against each other, one on one.

In addition to a strong multiplayer, there is a 14 mission single player campaign which documents the defense of the Allied Nations against USSR during the outbreak of war, where you play a Lieutanent who has to fight back against these invaders with his comrades. This single player campaign also shares the same quirks as multiplayer, where it puts the player in a position where he is merely fighting only a small portion of the battle constantly, in full view of elsewhere in the map, where another fight is going on between the player's allies and the opponent.

From France, to Seattle in single player, as well as a moderate variety of maps in multiplayer, I feel that World in Conflict is something any serious strategy gamer should put on his list for this year.

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