It’s been a while since we brought you a first look at Massive Entertainment’s World in Conflict. Their first game since Ground Control II, World in Conflict is set in the Cold War ’80s. The Soviets, instead of going Perestroika, have invaded Europe and the US, leading to a three-fronted war where everyone’s got nukes. And everyone loves nukes.

We were told how the game was set to combine real-time strategy with the basic setup of a Counter-Strike match - starting players off in one corner of a map, letting them tool up with tanks and planes instead of flashbangs and AKs and then watching them run riot. It’s a difficult feat of imagination, and - presumably - equally difficult in execution. But these shots confirm one thing: it’s going to feature some staggering scenes of destruction so delicious, they’ll take the roof off your mouth and eat into your brain...

Ka-boom!

Awesome it may be, but the nuke isn’t to be used lightly - and in single-player, only when historically appropriate. Used intelligently in multiplayer, however, the weapon can provide a match-defining moment.

Into battle

While the armament tool-up stylings might smell of Counter-Strike, a multiplayer session of WIC also reveals more than a little homage to Battlefield. As your units swarm over the map you’ll be keeping hold of command points - the more you dominate them, the more you win.

B-b-b-b-build

Should you hold onto one of these command points for a good amount of time, Massive are currently toying with the idea of letting you truly dig in and build fortifications to help you fend off the enemy. Which, actually, wouldn’t be a bad idea for Battlefield either.