Tom Clancy's EndWar has been with console gamers for some time now. EndWar has made the translation between mediums the best. EndWar, for those who have never heard about it, is a strategy style title that has one big feature being hyped: in-game, real-time voice commands.
The basic premise behind play is that, in the not-too-distant-future, a war breaks out on a global scale between the American, European and Russian factions that have formed following a nuclear strike in 2016 that kills 20 million people and cripples the world's oil supply.
Following a space-based missile defense system's strike on a launching American spacecraft, war is declared between Europe, Russia and the USA, with each faction taking on the others. The video sequence of the space launch being destroyed looks very similar to the real-life explosion of the Challenger space mission in 1986.
From this point onwards, the campaign begins for players in the single-player arena with a walk through the controls and voice systems in the 'Prelude to War' series of missions.
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This initial section lasts about eight missions and has players switching from role to role across factions as they get to learn the control methods of play. The first objectives are very basic and require little by way of skill to complete successfully.
Once players are asked to choose a faction from the USA, Europe and Russia, the game proper begins - and with it comes a sudden jump in difficulty. The learning curve is a little steep in EndWar and comes as a surprise after that very easy tutorial. Faction depending, players will move on with the rest of the campaign, fighting the war over various points on the globe. Good luck Commander.
This cannot be stressed enough: EndWar is NOT a traditional Real Time Strategy title by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, viewing EndWar more as a combat simulator would go a long way to enhancing a player's enjoyment. The camera is fixed to troops and units and traditional free-moving around a map simply won't happen. Players are limited to line-of-sight in most cases, bringing the experience in line with what would actually occur on a battlefield. If nothing else, EndWar would make a decent training tool for prospective battlefield commanders. Players going into the game expecting an RTS will be disappointed.
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The voice command option may seem a little gimmicky to some but the mouse and keyboard are always an option, should the voice controls get frustrating. And the voice control system will be frustrating at first. The system seems to have a few minor problems recognizing the accent's rendition of the number 'five' and also sometimes reads 'alpha' as 'delta', a problem when you are holding Delta and call in an airstrike on your own troops.
This frustration can reach a fever pitch, prompting near-tosses of computer equipment out of suitable windows, but for some reason the more excited a voice is, the less likely the recognition system will know what players are saying. Calming down and a few extra hours of play will improve players' enunciation until they are commanding smoothly and calmly. Getting this right creates an awesome feeling as you reel off a lengthy series of commands and watch troops move and capture, others begin deploying and still more repulse an incoming enemy attack.
That being said, players who are used to the traditional form of RTS will find themselves hampered by playing EndWar. The overview is limited to an AWACS-style overhead map that is called up at the expense of on-the-ground situational awareness. Rapid snapping to hotspots is limited until the keyboard shortcuts or voice commands become second nature. There are very limited numbers of units and upgrading them is nigh-on impossible since, although units do get promoted, this seems to have little effect in a game. The game's learning curve is a little too steep for casual players and will serve as an irritation for serious ones. There are some brilliant animations for player units, especially when they deploy or capture a point but these will get stale.
EndWarw will take some getting into, but pushing through the initial teething troubles as the controls and style of play are learnt will reward players in the end. The multiplayer and MMO-ish online battles could make for some great fun once the fundamentals have been firmly established. Nothing will quite touch losing a game and calling in a WDM on an opposing human player, that probably won't ever get old.
We cannot really fault EndWar on anything as they are trying something new and getting away with it for the most part. EndWar almost seems designed for the PC and is best played with a combination of voice, mouse and keyboard controls. There is hardly a hint of console-induced nastiness anywhere.
However, taking the direction that they have will lead to many players feeling a bit put-off by the game itself. Play is slower than most would like and much more tactical than one would expect. Effective deployment of limited resources is the order of the day and that won't be everyone's cup of tea.
As much as we'd like to rate this higher, we really can't, since it doesn't seemed aimed at a particular player. If you like what you've heard thus far though, feel free to buy the game.
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