Dec 13, 2007

Tom Clancy’s EndWar is an RTS set in a near-future World War III scenario in which a nuclear exchange in the Middle East has decimated the world’s oil supply. Michael De Plater, Creative Director for Ubisoft’s Shanghai studio, was on hand to walk us through the gameplay mechanics and mercilessly crush us into radioactive dust a one-on-one match.

At its core, EndWar employs a rock-paper-scissors model for conflict resolution much like other RTS games. Each map is a race to control an array of missile bunkers that make up the nuclear defense grid for the region. Contextual commands are issued through a GRAW-like HUD, or delivered verbally via the headset. Unlike traditional RTS games, there is no birds-eye view of the battlefield. Rather, the camera is locked to the units you have in the field. You can call up a satellite map that outlines the lay of the land from above, again much like the UAV in GRAW. However, in-game you can only see from your units’ perspectives. While it definitely gives EndWar a different feel, it seemed a bit awkward and limiting on the first try. Familiarity with the maps might alleviate this, unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to find out.

The voice command system was a welcome improvement over the tedious menu-surfing that plagues the genre, if you can get over feeling silly about shouting orders at your screen. On the map we played, action unfolded quickly as we raced to control strategic points. Bases and units can be upgraded, but EndWar does not have a resource gathering element. We played locally, so we did not see the ginormous world board Ubi is planning, in which a global battle line shifts in real time based on match results. What we did see what a graphically polished, pacey console RTS with plenty of promise. If you haven’t already, take a look at our new screens. EndWar is scheduled to ship in March 2008.