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World in Conflict Review for PC

World in Conflict Review for PC

World in Conflict Gets You Out From Behind Your Desk and on the Front Lines Where You Belong

World in Conflict is one of those games that makes you wonder, “Why didn’t somebody think of this before?” Although the idea has certainly been thought of before, it’s never been brought to fruition like it has here.

World in Conflict screenshot

World in Conflict is a real time strategy game that forsakes the bulk of micromanagement aspects, distilling the gameplay to its action-packed core. This streamlined genre concept has been used to good effect in the RPG and point-and-click genre, and although it’s been experimented with on all genres, World in Conflict is the penultimate example of this concept applied to a strategy game. It’s a successful, fully realized, RTS game that is accessible to all gamers. It’s like actually taking part in a war, and not just sitting behind a desk issuing orders and wiping soldiers’ butts. World in Conflict means more action, less nerding.

This game comes with all the toys that boys like to play with. There are tanks, cannons, anti-aircraft guns, missiles, and bombs of every shape and size, including nuclear weapons. How cool is that? Well, let me tell you, it’s really cool. The focus of the gameplay in the single-player mode is narrowed so that you’re only concerned with a few main units, not the country’s entire military. You are the most important cog in the wheel however, and the tide of war can be changed by your actions, or lack thereof. There are 14 missions in the single-player mode, and they are all varied, interesting, and challenging. I would recommend this game on that mode alone, but the multiplayer component is the crowning jewel of this title.

World in Conflict screenshot

Some 40 years after the end of WWII, the Soviets are attempting to take over the world. Beginning their campaign for world domination in Western Europe, they eventually bring the fight on to American soil. You don’t get to play as the Reds in the single-player mode, but feel free to shove Communism down the throats of the free world in the multiplayer mode.

You probably wouldn’t think that a game like this needs much of a storyline. It’s a war. Other than that as a premise, you don’t really need much in the way of subplots and character development. But the story gives the war a human element. It goes deep, not with detail, but with emotion. It’s heartfelt, tragic, and even humorous. This is not your typical John Wayne-inspired dialogue. Veteran actor Alec Baldwin voices the main protagonist. He’s supported by a tremendous cast that really helps round out the virtually perfect production values. The story unfolds through text, telephone conversations, cutscenes, and hand-drawn stills. This game looks and sounds amazing. While the cutscenes are movie-quality, the in-game graphics leave nothing to be desired. Destruction reigns supreme. There is nothing that can’t be destroyed on screen. The physics engine is one of the best I’ve encountered. Homes, buildings, tanks, aircrafts, roads, and enemy installations “blowed up real good.” In the aftermath after the smoke clears, there will be little more than a burnt out crater surrounded by smoldering rubble.

World in Conflict screenshot

There’s been a bumper crop of good WWII games in the last couple of years, but it’s nice to play in a different epoch every now and then. World in Conflict utilizes modern weapons and strategies.

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