Conclusion, final thoughts and awards
I normally try and keep my reviews to a max of four pages but I think you’ll see that it’s a testament to the quality of World in Conflict that I’ve written so much. There’s just so much good stuff to talk about that it’s hard to know where to start and even harder to know where to stop. Let’s get the niggles out of the way and then I can go off on a rant about the good bits.First up are the fly-by interruptions during the game as your view is whisked off to look at your next objective. Early on in the game this happens quite often and though it’s timed to occur after a major objective is completed, it always seems to happen just when I’m trying to get my battered units re-organized. Later in the campaign it happens less frequently and it’s nothing more than a minor pain but I wish there was some way to switch it off.
Click for larger imageLinked into that is the fact that after setting a drop point or getting the compulsory fly-by, the game completely resets your camera view. Even given that the camera is a piece of the proverbial to reset, it’s still a pain to have to do it when you’ve been forced out of the view you had… and some of the time limits on objectives can be very tight so mucking about with the camera and then reselecting units or getting back to the job you were in the middle of hardly helps.
If I had to find a glaring fault with World in Conflict, the best I can come up with is that there’s no Russian campaign to play the game from the other side. But seeing as there’s so much else going for it, it’d be churlish to hold that against the game… maybe in the expansion pack, eh?
Click for larger imageBut these niggles are just that, tiny niggles which count for nothing when you look at the rest of World in Conflict. It really is the pinnacle of RTS games right now. Forget resource collection and research trees, a frontline battle commander doesn’t forge the steel and build the tank. He doesn’t research the weaponry and allocate the funds. No, a frontline commander orders his troops to take the objective. He calls in the air support and brings up reinforcements. He devises the tactics and destroys the enemy. And that’s exactly what World in Conflict gives you.
The limited reinforcement points system prevents you from doing a ‘build n rush’, something that has plagued RTS games since they were first conceived. You’re forced to think about your tactics and selecting the toughest tanks often isn’t the answer. Combining your available forces to back each other up, as well as using feints and flanking manoeuvres, is the only way to progress… that and bringing down some serious artillery support to soften up defences.
Graphically, it’s hard to see how World in Conflict could look any better and it’s clear that Massive have spent hundreds of hours building realistic environments for you to wage war across. Though the level of interaction with your environment is limited, all you’re going to do is either blow it up or use it as cover before the enemy blows it up, so that works for me.
Click for larger imageThe multiplayer is nearly a whole new game. Although the game mechanics are the same, the need to work with your team mates, lend your support to them and expect it in return make World in Conflict possibly the most satisfying multiplayer RTS so far. Of course, it all hinges on whether you have a headset for the essential voice comms and whether your team play as a team but I fully expect to see a strong clan following on this one and I guess it won’t be long before we see World in Conflict becoming a big player on the LAN event scene.
It’s the little extras that really sell World in Conflict as a whole though, everything from the dioramas between missions through to the awesomely terrifying rendering of a tactical nuke dominating the landscape. The voice acting is superb, led by Alec Baldwin, the motion captured in-game cut scenes aren’t over used and the control system with it’s simple to use, ready-made hotkeys is a joy.
Simply put, even if you’re not an RTS fan, there’s nothing in World of Conflict that you won’t enjoy. Go and buy it, you’ll love it.
Pros
Intuitive camera controls
Sensible points system to prevent build n rush attacks
Intense, nail-biting missions
Superb graphics and sound
Brilliant multiplayer with the right team
Lag free online play even with VOIP
Cons
No Russian campaign
Multiplayer let down if playing with selfish team mates
Camera resets after cut scenes or fly-bys
Why are you still reading this? Go and buy World in Conflict now!
HEXUS Awards
World In Conflict
