Christmas has come early with World in Conflict, which does to RTS genre what Bioshock did to the first-person shooter. It redefines it.
Set in a hypothetical 1989 when USSR invades both Europe and America in a startling World War III to prevent its internal collapse, the game puts you in the shoes of Lieutanant Parker, tasked to help defend American soil from Mother Russia. In between, players also get the chance to play on the European front where NATO forces are holding the line.
How World in Conflict differs from other RTS is by doing away with base building and focusing on a reinforcement system. Players spend an allotment of points on units, and if they die, the points slowly trickle back for you to order in more. These units are split between Air, Armour, Infantry and Support, eash with its pros and cons. Players pick a path and can buy a small number of units - ranging from heavy tanks to light transport vehicles - from them. Gameplay is fast and furious, consisting of squads working in tandem (often with AI-controlled allies) to achieve goals.
While the story alone is worth the price, it's the multiplayer scheme you'll be coming back for. With a full-game client, Voice-over IP, buddy lists and ladder rankings, it's clear that a lot of thought went into the game. Diving in, you'll find a choice of the four paths to choose from - Air, Armour, Infantry and Support. Players will need to divide themselves well in order to succeed by supporting each other in battle. On any one map, you'll often have up to 16 other players in any of those classes trying to battle it to help take objectives, but World in Conflict isn't geared for solo heroes. Players will absolutely need allies. For instance, tanks will chew up enemy armour and fortifications, but anti-tank infantry and choppers will make mince-meat out of them, requiring two or more players to tag along with each other for proper fire support.
If you find yourself alone and outgunned though, all is not lost. The other resource in the game is called tactical points, gained by capturing specific locations on the map, completing your objectives or simply killing enough enemies. These give you the chance to call in various arsenal - from napalm strikes that can burn down forests shielding infantry to the ultimate graphical glory - a tactical nuke.
One of the things you'll love most about World in Conflict is how jaw-dropping realistic the graphics are, even on a mid-range system running a GeForce 7600. Zoom in all the way and tiny details like canteens and infantry can be seen. Zoom out and watch the landscape getting blown up. The ability to level forests, bridges, buildings and more are routine, a feature that was not so common in previous RTS games.
In short, if you're any sort of RTS fan who's always believed that more players fighting really wins the war, this is your battlefield.
I cant wait
