Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this game is filled with large-scale battles complete with artillery strikes, napalm, and even nuclear bombs. Soldiers can be run over by tanks, blown up with artillery, or shot by snipers. On the positive side, the game has a very interesting, and well-told storyline about how the Cold War could have ended. Plus, an included History Channel DVD explains how the real Cold War actually ended in 1989 with the fall of the Berlin Wall. The game has an online component, which Common Sense Media doesn't recommend for anyone under age 12.
Families can talk about how this game uses a storyline that presents an "alternate history" -- imagining that something in the past actually happened differently than it did. Have you read any other books or played games that used this method of storytelling? Does it encourage you to discover what really happened?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Jeremy Gieske
In the 1980s, at the height of the Cold War, many people imagined what it would be like if war actually happened. What if the Soviet Union invaded? Would nuclear weapons be used? Of course, war never happened -- instead the Berlin Wall came down, and the Cold War ended. Like a good book, WORLD IN CONFLICT lets players imagine the "what if," and then lets them play it out in all of its grittiness in one of the best Real-Time-Strategy (RTS) games of 2007.
It's 1989, and the Soviets have made a surprise attack on the United States. Seattle is overrun, and it's up to a few rag-tag divisions to try and turn the tide. World War III is in full gear, and it's the player's job to win back the United States.
The game's story is told through outstanding cut scenes and in-game narration. Unlike most RTS games, World in Conflict spends a lot of time developing character personalities -- the player can truly identify with the turmoil that some of characters in the game are going through.
The story is excellent, but the gameplay is even better. In one of the biggest breaks from the standard RTS genre, World in Conflict has no resource gathering. Instead each player is given a pool of reinforcement points, which they can choose to spend on a variety of military units: troops, tanks, helicopters, etc.
As the player's units are destroyed during the battle, the point values for those units are slowly added back to the player's overall pool of reinforcement points. Then the player can re-spend those points to call up more units until the game is either won or lost.
Most battles are determined by who controls and holds certain checkpoints. To make it more challenging, players usually have only a certain amount of time to take over the checkpoint, and then they need to hold it for an additional period of time. The advantage of this method of gameplay is that players get to focus almost entirely on battlefield strategy, rather than micro-managing the collection of gold, wood, oil, etc.
In additional to reinforcement points, players also acquire tactical points when they have accomplished certain objectives -- say, taking over checkpoints or destroying enemy units. These tactical points can be spent to call in artillery strikes, napalm runs, even the dropping of nuclear weapons.
As good as the single-player campaign is, the game really shines with its multiplayer options. It's easy to jump into the action. And, like Battlefield 2 and other recent online war games, the leader board has a whole host of medals, ribbons, and awards for players to win.
Teams that work together in multiplayer mode have a huge advantage, since each player only specializes in one area: air, support, infantry, etc. So, each player is dependent on other players to provide the support they need.
With a deep and well-told storyline, plus its new style of gameplay, World in Conflict takes the RTS genre of games and turns it on its head. There's no conflict here -- this game's a winner. Players who enjoy this game would also enjoy the 1984 movie Red Dawn.
For another excellent RTS game, check out Age of Empires.
Platform Notes
Xbox 360
An Xbox 360 version is expected in 2008 and should be very similar to the Windows version.
Reviewed: 12/04/2007
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentOne of the cut scenes alludes to non-player characters having an affair. |
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ViolenceGraphic violence including massive explosions using nuclear weapons, the ability to run over troops with tanks, cut scenes of soldiers shot by snipers, napalm strikes. Cities are shown being destroyed by bombing and artillery. |
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LanguageSome use of "hell" and "damn" and the like during gameplay and in cut scenes. |
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Social BehaviorA key character chooses to sacrifice his life for the greater good. A character's stepfather is discussed as being abusive toward his mother. Characters discuss the war and the effect it's having on their family, friends, and relationships. A character (mistakenly) attacks and kills surrendering civilians due to his impatience to get on with the battle -- after he realizes it, he's remorseful. |
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CommercialismHistory Channel DVD included. |
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Educational ValueThe included History Channel DVD about the fall of the Berlin Wall lets players know how the real Cold War ended in 1989 -- instead of escalating as this game indicates. |
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