World In Conflict review

World in Conflict is a real-time strategy game by Massive Entertainment and Sierra. However, real-time strategy is a bit of a misnomer, as there is no base-building involved. Just a lot of units and sprawling maps filled with the burn marks and charred remains of vehicles. To cut straight to the chase...

Storyline/Plot

The storyline is actually pretty well thought out. The Soviet Union, realizing that they are far outclassed and about to lose the Cold War, invade westward through Europe. While war rampages there, being fought primarily by NATO, the Russkies do a suprise attack on Seattle and manage to use the depleted troop numbers in the US (remember: they are fighting in Europe) and take the entire city. They also attempt to take New York City, but are pushed back by a determined US force. A few flashback missions later, and it is revealed that the Chinese are helping their Communist allies and are planning to use their superior troop numbers to expand out of Seattle using the Russian foothold and flood the United States with a huge amount of manpower.

Sound

I love the 1980s soundtrack (being that it takes place in 1989). Two of the songs played are "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and "Here I Go Again." If you don't know who does these songs, you have the internet. Look 'em up! As for the cinematics, the voice actors really did a nice job. The standout performance is Colonel Sawyer, who delivers an honest-to-God knockout and sounds like he got a few tips from a real drill instructor. The more tender ears might be a bit bruised, but nobody is going to stand around going "Darn it!" while full-scale warfare rages. Honestly, you'd see this kind of language in a pretty light PG-13 movie.

The sound effects themselves (such as explosions) are decent. Not much of a standout, but it's more about story than raw power. If you're looking for a game with ear-splitting explosions and whatnot then Company of Heroes is falling into the bargain bin price range.

Graphics

Being that I had the graphics settings pretty light, I was suprised at the amount of detail that even a low-level setting can pump out. If you have a stupidly powerful rig and can crank it all the way up with no noticeable framerate drop, you're in for a visual treat. Pretty much all of the in-game cinematics are rendered with the actual engine, and it's really quite suprising how far we've come in the span of a decade or so in technology. Explosions are forceful (one might say...explosive. Heh.) and burst forth in a pretty display of pyrotechnical delight. Little details like sparks and flames and smoke show up on tanks, and collapsing buildings do so realistically, with chunks falling off as the building implodes, and kicks up a nice cloud of dust in doing so.

Gameplay

The gameplay forces you to be strategical, but it's never more than "Should I get a reinforcement of two transports or cancel them and wait to get a heavy tank?" so don't expect to get too mired in a mental quagmire. Reinforcements are purchased via...well, reinforcement points. But the balancing act of units is interesting. Should you spend points buying weaker units that protect against air attacks or hope that all you face are tanks and go maurading around the landscape with a bunch of heavy tanks? However, the most fun aspect of the game are the tactical aids. They involve everything from a sonar sweep (shows units obscured by Fog of War and hidden units) to a heavy carpet bombing (everything dies...EVERYTHING) or even a nuclear strike. The single player campaign has an engaging story, but it's pretty short and you should never fail the same mission twice due to scripting.

Pros of the game

• Engaging single player story
• A good balancing act between units
• Nice visuals
• Very good voice acting

Cons

• Sometimes missions require nothing more than brute force
• Needs more chutzpah in the explosions and other sound effects
• Short singleplayer
• Game ends without conquering Russia. What the hell?!
• I want a single-player skirmish option
• Units are awfully same-y

Sticky's Final Verdict: 7.5

World In Conflict isn't a bad game by any means, but it isn't stellar either. It's missing just a few things, but it's enough to make the game slightly disappointing. I hope more modders get in on this game, as I think there's a lot of potential to be made here with enough skill and determination. I'd say get the game, but wait until either an expansion or a price drop. Overall, a nice game that tries really hard to be amazing, but fails by the skin of it's teeth.