World in Conflict
Preview
What if Communism had never faltered?
by Howie Howard
previewed on PC
Duking it out
The multi-player mode has been going through a massive beta test and from all reports it is going very nicely indeed. Multi-online differs from the stand-alone game in that it requires players to choose which specialty they wish to play in the game. Each member of the team will pick the specialty and then a corresponding selection of units will pop up. The specialties or roles require the commander to guide ground troops, armor, aircraft or support vehicles in different combat environs. There are literally hundreds of sub categories under each of the specialty roles so there is plenty to choose from and to do in the game.
When an online match starts up each player is doled out a certain number of points that can be spent to purchase the different units that are used in the game. As the game progresses and units are killed off, each commander automatically accumulates more points. If you find your troop strength at a very low level, new points come at a faster pace. The commander that has a full strength or near full strength army sees their help in point reinforcements accumulate much slower. This method works very well and it actually improves the way the game handles unit reinforcement. It creates a sense of urgency for the winning side to finish it quickly without giving the underdog the feeling that there is no hope of winning.
Enjoying your destruction
It seems like in most games it is all about graphics and the sights and sounds that are there to wow the gamer. World in Conflict is no different in their approach to graphics. The on-screen explosions are really something to behold. In fact, when a nuke explodes, thus destroying your army, you will simply sit back and marvel at what can be best described as a colorfully scarred battlefield littered with debris and covered with dust and ash. The various troops, aircraft and vehicles are very detailed in their presentation and are patterned after actual units, so it looks like the real thing.
I mentioned the graphical details that can be expected above. I would also like to mention that the combat units behave realistically as well. Most games of this ilk take place on a map, which serves as the battlefield. The war making equipment in this game performs realistically and a heavy howitzer artillery piece will blast its projectile across the entire map while a light artillery piece may have only half the range. All of this realism makes for a very enjoyable experience.
I must say that I am excited about Sierra’s new war game. I love to get out there and to mix it up with my fellow commander on the field of battle. World in Conflict certainly has what it takes to get me to go to war once again and to do battle against the evil communist menace bent on destroying our peace-loving world. When you see the enormous tank brigade charging across the battlefield stop and say hi, it will be me battling against evil yet again! Cheers!
