This is for RTS fans, or just fans of strategy games in general. I have World in Conflict, which is a fantastic game. In case you haven't played it, it starts off as a war between NATO and Warsaw Pact forces in the 80s. During the distraction of the war in Europe, the USSR takes the United States by surprise by launching a surprise invasion of the United States mainland by landing troops in Seattle, catching the US offguard, and culminates with the USSR allying itself with the Chinese and China launching an invasion of the US. It really is a fantastic game, and this is pretty similar, but with more detail and realism. It is also by the same developers of R.U.S.E. and Act of War. You could say this game is very close to the extremely popular book Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy, which is basically about a war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, albiet starting in different circumstances. It's basically a game that asks the unanswered question: "What if............?"
The Game
Wargame: European Escalation is set in the Cold War period 1975-1985. Tensions betweem NATO and the Warsaw Pact are running high, and a small firefight close to the East German border, finally pushes things over the edge into war. You are basically thrown into the battle, and basically control everything. Refuelling of tanks, reinforcements, reconnaissance-put bluntly the whole nine yards. Morale is also a key factor that has been thrown in. Successful campaigns will obviously raise morale, but losses will drop it, resulting in things like soldiers retreating very quickly if stunned by a surprise attack.
Realistic performance and behaviour has also been added. For example, you can order your troops to only fire when within a certain range of an enemy target. Stealth can also be used for certain missions. Quality of the technology is also taken into account aswell. So you can't basically just order your troops to go all out against the best WarPac forces as you have to take into account literally everything, right down to the smallest detail.
Thankfully, the game takes into account that there will be newcomers to strategy games, so even if you haven't played these games before, it will take that into account. Or you could try to be a smart *** like me and pit your wits on harder levels of difficulty.
Graphics
I have to say, the footage I've seen, and the screenshots I've seen are extremely impressive. When a helicopter is shot down, it doesn't just plummet straight down, it flies literally out of control before exploding or crashing into the ground. The visual detail on individual units, like tanks, is extremely impressive I have to say. And the explosions and sights of battles raging, are very eye catching. During the game, you can zoom right in to ground level, and can see just how detailed everything is. Very impressive.
However, the developers have stripped away the engine that was used in R.U.S.E, so there is no fog of war or anything. All units are instantly visible.
Multiplayer
There is online multiplayer modes, ranging from skirmish battles, to organising tournaments. A ranking system is also going to be included in the game. You create tactics, and you can also unlock new units in order to add them to your 'deck' for you next battles. You could choose an overwhelming strategy with large numbers of low quality yet cheap tanks, or you could try to control small squads of expensive but skillful elite units. Should be a lot of fun.
System Requirements
As for system requirements, they are yet to be released. I have scoured the net to find them, but have been unable to do. But they are expected to be slightly higher than those of R.U.S.E, so in some cases some graphical detail may have to be reduced. However, the creative director of Eugene has been quoted as saying "Still, WarGame players will have a great experience even if their hardware is old." So it's looking good.
Personally, I cannot wait for this game to be released, it just looks and sounds fantastic. And it's my sort of game, being a military freak and being a golden oldie lol. If you've wondered what the Cold War was about and wondered what could've happened, this is pretty much an ideal game, and I'm surprised it took this long for this sort of game to be released. And the programmers have ensured that the game can be fully modable, so there should be a nice selection of user made campaigns to download.
There is to be an open beta through Steam in October (unconfirmed date as yet as it was pushed back from September). But the beta is STEAM ONLY (sorry Steam haters!). The game will be released on PC in retail and online stores on November 17th 2011.
Trailers
[video=youtube;pp6B5xePw-k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp6B5xePw-k[/video]
[video=youtube;Ld8du7bSRkI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld8du7bSRkI&feature=related[/video]
The Game
Wargame: European Escalation is set in the Cold War period 1975-1985. Tensions betweem NATO and the Warsaw Pact are running high, and a small firefight close to the East German border, finally pushes things over the edge into war. You are basically thrown into the battle, and basically control everything. Refuelling of tanks, reinforcements, reconnaissance-put bluntly the whole nine yards. Morale is also a key factor that has been thrown in. Successful campaigns will obviously raise morale, but losses will drop it, resulting in things like soldiers retreating very quickly if stunned by a surprise attack.
Realistic performance and behaviour has also been added. For example, you can order your troops to only fire when within a certain range of an enemy target. Stealth can also be used for certain missions. Quality of the technology is also taken into account aswell. So you can't basically just order your troops to go all out against the best WarPac forces as you have to take into account literally everything, right down to the smallest detail.
Thankfully, the game takes into account that there will be newcomers to strategy games, so even if you haven't played these games before, it will take that into account. Or you could try to be a smart *** like me and pit your wits on harder levels of difficulty.
Graphics
I have to say, the footage I've seen, and the screenshots I've seen are extremely impressive. When a helicopter is shot down, it doesn't just plummet straight down, it flies literally out of control before exploding or crashing into the ground. The visual detail on individual units, like tanks, is extremely impressive I have to say. And the explosions and sights of battles raging, are very eye catching. During the game, you can zoom right in to ground level, and can see just how detailed everything is. Very impressive.
However, the developers have stripped away the engine that was used in R.U.S.E, so there is no fog of war or anything. All units are instantly visible.
Multiplayer
There is online multiplayer modes, ranging from skirmish battles, to organising tournaments. A ranking system is also going to be included in the game. You create tactics, and you can also unlock new units in order to add them to your 'deck' for you next battles. You could choose an overwhelming strategy with large numbers of low quality yet cheap tanks, or you could try to control small squads of expensive but skillful elite units. Should be a lot of fun.
System Requirements
As for system requirements, they are yet to be released. I have scoured the net to find them, but have been unable to do. But they are expected to be slightly higher than those of R.U.S.E, so in some cases some graphical detail may have to be reduced. However, the creative director of Eugene has been quoted as saying "Still, WarGame players will have a great experience even if their hardware is old." So it's looking good.
Personally, I cannot wait for this game to be released, it just looks and sounds fantastic. And it's my sort of game, being a military freak and being a golden oldie lol. If you've wondered what the Cold War was about and wondered what could've happened, this is pretty much an ideal game, and I'm surprised it took this long for this sort of game to be released. And the programmers have ensured that the game can be fully modable, so there should be a nice selection of user made campaigns to download.
There is to be an open beta through Steam in October (unconfirmed date as yet as it was pushed back from September). But the beta is STEAM ONLY (sorry Steam haters!). The game will be released on PC in retail and online stores on November 17th 2011.
Trailers
[video=youtube;pp6B5xePw-k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp6B5xePw-k[/video]
[video=youtube;Ld8du7bSRkI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ld8du7bSRkI&feature=related[/video]
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