CHUBAKAH
March-23rd-2005, 11:39 AM
If you are a serious PC gamer, and are looking for something new that is done very well, check out this new game by Atari. The main website ishere (http://www.atari.com/actofwar/us/index.php) for you to check it out.
A review written by Lion of CnC Den:
http://www.cncden.com/actofwar_first.shtml
Act of War: Direct Action is a real-time strategy game reminiscent of the days when Command & Conquer games featured realistic live-action cutscenes. Most RTS games released nowadays opt for the computer-generated cutscenes in an effort to curb the rising costs of developing a game. Fortunately Eugen Systems, the developer of AOW, chose to go against the grain and produced an intriguing and believable story for the single player campaign. This is where the game really shines through and puts you in the middle of a terroristic war that could easily be ripped from today’s newspaper headlines. Playing the single player missions is like watching an exciting action movie, and then getting the opportunity to join in on the fun. For my first impressions of this new RTS game, I'll concentrate mainly on the single player campaign. Skirmish and online play are basically the same as what your used to in other RTS games, with the exception of gathering resources. Building an oil derrick and oil refinery takes care of the money flow.
In the solo campaign, you'll get the opportunity to command the US Army and Task Force Talon as you go up against the Consortium. The Consortium is a secret group of petroleum company owners that finances an international terrorist organization to stage a series of attacks around the world in an effort to destabilize the global economy and profit from skyrocketing oil prices. The progression of the single player missions is not unlike Command & Conquer games. You start out with minimal forces and resources. As the missions progress, you will get the opportunity to build a base of operations, decide what units you will need to accomplish your mission, and then plan your attack. With each new chapter in the campaign you gain the ability to build more and better forces. And there's a nice assortment of military vehicles at your disposal. Goodies like Bradley fighting vehicles, Abrams tanks, RA66 Comanche Attack Helicopters, and a nice variety of infantry, including the powerful S.H.I.E.L.D.S. unit. And as a bonus, you can call in air strikes (Joint Strike Fighter or Global Hawk) throughout the missions once you gain the ability to build the necessary structure. The majority of the missions take place in an 'urban' environment. I found it a good idea to use the many buildings to your advantage and garrison troops in them during phases of a given mission. I would strategically place snipers in buildings to take care of enemy infantry, and then use vehicles and Marines (infantry) to advance through the streets. When I encountered a building garrisoned by enemy troops, I would simply send in my infantry and take over the building. To be successful in the majority of the missions, it is necessary to have a good mix of infantry and vehicle types, not unlike other RTS games.
When you complete the campaign, you can try your hand in skirmish mode and select one of the eighteen maps available to you. And of course there's the online action to be had. I haven't had the opportunity to play an online game as yet, so I can't comment on that. But for those of you who enjoy playing against the computer, you'll get a have decent game in skirmish mode. The AI is somewhat intelligent, but can be predictable as with most RTS games.
The graphics in the game are well done. In fact, even at the lowest graphics settings the game still looks very good. Those of you without the powerhouse video card will welcome this. I tested AOW using a GEForce4 TI42 vid card with 64 MB, and had little to no problems running the game at medium settings. In the options menu you have quite a few choices for setting up the graphics. During gameplay, I was particularly impressed with the ability to zoom in right down to the street level and see the highly detailed and realistic buildings. And yes, just about every thing in the game can be destroyed. Explosions are fiery, and with the billowing black smoke it lends realism to your gaming experience. The level of detail in character animations are very cool, as are the vehicles in the game. The development team should be applauded for their attention to detail. Anyone playing this game will agree the graphics are one of the strongest points in AOW.
From a graphical and gameplay standpoint, Act of War is a winner. It flows nicely, but is not without it's faults. There are no in-game tutorials, so a novice RTS player may have some difficulty learning how to play in the beginning. What I suggest is to print out the list of 'hotkeys' you'll find in the readme file, and when playing the missions, just autosave frequently till you get the hang of things. The other thing I found hard to get use to was the interface. It's not as good as what you'll find in Command & Conquer games. I wish the dev team could have worked on this aspect of the game a bit more. But with beautifully detailed graphics and a great solo campaign, two out of three ain't bad.
Overall, I was well pleased with Act of War, being the first RTS offering of this kind from Eugen Systems and Atari. The single player missions, coupled with a great story, superbly done cinematic cut-scenes, and jaw-dropping graphics are worth the price of admission.
A few screen shots:
http://www.cncden.com/aow_first/aow_03.jpg
http://www.cncden.com/aow_first/aow_02.jpg
http://www.cncden.com/aow_first/aow_04.jpg
If you play this, or are planning to get it, our community (http://www.clan-be.com/v2/index.php) is planning to hit this one heavy. If you are looking for a group of adults to join forces with, check us out, and join the forum.
We'll see you in the battlefield soldier.
Chewy
A review written by Lion of CnC Den:
http://www.cncden.com/actofwar_first.shtml
Act of War: Direct Action is a real-time strategy game reminiscent of the days when Command & Conquer games featured realistic live-action cutscenes. Most RTS games released nowadays opt for the computer-generated cutscenes in an effort to curb the rising costs of developing a game. Fortunately Eugen Systems, the developer of AOW, chose to go against the grain and produced an intriguing and believable story for the single player campaign. This is where the game really shines through and puts you in the middle of a terroristic war that could easily be ripped from today’s newspaper headlines. Playing the single player missions is like watching an exciting action movie, and then getting the opportunity to join in on the fun. For my first impressions of this new RTS game, I'll concentrate mainly on the single player campaign. Skirmish and online play are basically the same as what your used to in other RTS games, with the exception of gathering resources. Building an oil derrick and oil refinery takes care of the money flow.
In the solo campaign, you'll get the opportunity to command the US Army and Task Force Talon as you go up against the Consortium. The Consortium is a secret group of petroleum company owners that finances an international terrorist organization to stage a series of attacks around the world in an effort to destabilize the global economy and profit from skyrocketing oil prices. The progression of the single player missions is not unlike Command & Conquer games. You start out with minimal forces and resources. As the missions progress, you will get the opportunity to build a base of operations, decide what units you will need to accomplish your mission, and then plan your attack. With each new chapter in the campaign you gain the ability to build more and better forces. And there's a nice assortment of military vehicles at your disposal. Goodies like Bradley fighting vehicles, Abrams tanks, RA66 Comanche Attack Helicopters, and a nice variety of infantry, including the powerful S.H.I.E.L.D.S. unit. And as a bonus, you can call in air strikes (Joint Strike Fighter or Global Hawk) throughout the missions once you gain the ability to build the necessary structure. The majority of the missions take place in an 'urban' environment. I found it a good idea to use the many buildings to your advantage and garrison troops in them during phases of a given mission. I would strategically place snipers in buildings to take care of enemy infantry, and then use vehicles and Marines (infantry) to advance through the streets. When I encountered a building garrisoned by enemy troops, I would simply send in my infantry and take over the building. To be successful in the majority of the missions, it is necessary to have a good mix of infantry and vehicle types, not unlike other RTS games.
When you complete the campaign, you can try your hand in skirmish mode and select one of the eighteen maps available to you. And of course there's the online action to be had. I haven't had the opportunity to play an online game as yet, so I can't comment on that. But for those of you who enjoy playing against the computer, you'll get a have decent game in skirmish mode. The AI is somewhat intelligent, but can be predictable as with most RTS games.
The graphics in the game are well done. In fact, even at the lowest graphics settings the game still looks very good. Those of you without the powerhouse video card will welcome this. I tested AOW using a GEForce4 TI42 vid card with 64 MB, and had little to no problems running the game at medium settings. In the options menu you have quite a few choices for setting up the graphics. During gameplay, I was particularly impressed with the ability to zoom in right down to the street level and see the highly detailed and realistic buildings. And yes, just about every thing in the game can be destroyed. Explosions are fiery, and with the billowing black smoke it lends realism to your gaming experience. The level of detail in character animations are very cool, as are the vehicles in the game. The development team should be applauded for their attention to detail. Anyone playing this game will agree the graphics are one of the strongest points in AOW.
From a graphical and gameplay standpoint, Act of War is a winner. It flows nicely, but is not without it's faults. There are no in-game tutorials, so a novice RTS player may have some difficulty learning how to play in the beginning. What I suggest is to print out the list of 'hotkeys' you'll find in the readme file, and when playing the missions, just autosave frequently till you get the hang of things. The other thing I found hard to get use to was the interface. It's not as good as what you'll find in Command & Conquer games. I wish the dev team could have worked on this aspect of the game a bit more. But with beautifully detailed graphics and a great solo campaign, two out of three ain't bad.
Overall, I was well pleased with Act of War, being the first RTS offering of this kind from Eugen Systems and Atari. The single player missions, coupled with a great story, superbly done cinematic cut-scenes, and jaw-dropping graphics are worth the price of admission.
A few screen shots:
http://www.cncden.com/aow_first/aow_03.jpg
http://www.cncden.com/aow_first/aow_02.jpg
http://www.cncden.com/aow_first/aow_04.jpg
If you play this, or are planning to get it, our community (http://www.clan-be.com/v2/index.php) is planning to hit this one heavy. If you are looking for a group of adults to join forces with, check us out, and join the forum.
We'll see you in the battlefield soldier.
Chewy