World in Conflict Preview

E3 2006 First Look Preview

You can almost hear the cry of “Wolverines” echoing down through the hills. Those who remember the 1984 Patrick Swayze movie, Red Dawn, will get a sense of the backdrop for Vivendi Universal Game’s upcoming real-time strategy game, World in Conflict.

Suppose the Cold War didn’t end, but instead escalated and now the Soviet Union has invaded, creating a battleground in small town America. The focus of the pre-E3 event in San Francisco was the multiplayer aspects of the title, though the game will have a strong single-player element as well. Up to 16 players will be able to participate with many of the RTS conventions firmly in place.

The game is very accessible and very user friendly. The central multiplayer game mode will be domination, though some time limit elements may be involved. The depth of gameplay really starts to shine in team modes. There are four roles in the game – infantry, armor, support and air. If you send in a tactical nuclear strike, you had better forewarn friendly troops in the area as they can be killed by friendly fire.

There will be more than 20 maps available for the multiplayer modes.

Graphically, the game is very strong. Not only are the units very detailed, but the environment will interact with the action. Swaying trees may indicate a helicopter hidden behind them. The game also features great lighting, shadows and audio figures into the game in terms of environmental sound effects that may allow players to discern where units are, in addition to visual clues.

Players will start with a fixed number of credits, which can be spent on troops. Lose a unit and the money filters back into the spendable cash flow.

This may well be the year of the RTS but World in Conflict will be a strong contender for players’ attention. Not only is it visually impressive, but it also will quickly drop players into the heat of battle and provide a solid challenge.

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