I saw World In Conflict ( with the Soviet Assault Expansion ) in a bargain bin recently and decided to give it a try. I originally ignored this game despite enjoying Ground Control 1, which was a great game also done by Massive Entertainment. To put this game in a nutshell, it is a great game. I have thoroughly enjoyed the single player campaign and I have not yet tried the multiplayer. The expansion pack essentially merges a set of missions in-between the original set of missions to bulk up the storyline.
One of the biggest detractors for me originally when considering this game was the lack of base building and traditional resource management. Call me old school but I like my strategy games to involve base building and resource management. Although I sometimes wonder if I’m in the minority, seeing as though more and more games are streamlining that part of RTS games (Dawn of War 2; Command and Conquer 4). With that said, I think the design decision to use squads/regiments only has worked well with the game style and how it is meant to be played. The game’s focus is entirely around management of troops and there interaction/support of each other within a relatively small battlefield.
The game’s central storyline revolves around the Cold War between the United States and the USSR break out into a full invasion initiated by the USSR. An interesting use case for me personally. I can’t help but imagine what fears the US people had regarding a full invasion in the eighties. The storytelling is done well with the missions bouncing between the US and USSR characters. Although the cinematics could have benefited from a little work in terms of graphics, it told the story very well. I also had to bear in mind how old this game is when playing it. I also found constantly playing missions between the different sides gives a broader perspective on the conflict that goes on between nations and the people leading the fight on the ground which kept me engaged in the game as well.
When I said earlier that there was no resource management, I meant only in the traditional sense. In WiC you do have the concept of resource points which are allocated based on performance but also seem to be subject to the nature of the mission and are not given out purely based on kills or objectives. These resource points can essentially be used either to get reinforcements ( such as troops or vehicles/helicopters ) or the points can be used to access various types of artillery which can be a lot of fun and even crucial for tactical management of the battle at hand.
The gameplay mechanics turned out very well and feels fluid without dragging on. With that said, my personal highlight for the game is the graphics which is quite often a make or break deal for me. The game feels deep and the scale of the environment and its objects feel real as well. There is ample use of decent particle systems with the best application being to no surprise, a nuclear detonation which is so far my favourite to date.
All in all I think the game is worth the buy, and should be playable even for the non-RTS gamers. It is rare when I lose track of time while playing a game, but this is one of those games which made keeping track of time more difficult :-)
My two cents,
Ciao all :-)
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