Act of War : Direct Action

 

For fans of Command & Conquer and Red Alert

 

Developer: Eugen Systems
Publisher: Atari
Release Date: March 18, 2005
Platforms: PC
Genre: Real Time Strategy
System Requirements: Intel Pentium 4 1.5 GHz or equivalent CPU, 256 MB RAM, 6 GB hard disk, 64 MB video card

 

 

SCENARIO : In the near future, a global oil crisis has come up, with its price raised to 1.5 Euro/lt. The situation is critical, cause of the low oil production, which is a result of terrorist attacks in major oil production refineries. Even the big countries suffer the consequences, with major strikes and demonstrations. The game starts in London, where the "Energy Forum" is taking place, in order a solution to be found. Many demonstrators have gathered to protest. YOU are Jefferson, a former commander of Delta Force and current leader of a special military force called Task Force Talon. Houston have recently suffered a terrorist attack and you 're on red alert. Some unknown amateur extremists open fire to the crowd. Your military team will eliminate them easily, but you 'll soon face highly trained terrorists. The scenario above belongs to Dale Brown, a writer specialised in U.S. army, global wars and future military technology.

FULL MOTION VIDEO : I must make a remark about something I like very much in this game. The game includes full motion video with real actors. From the very beginning and during installation progress, you 'll watch a talk show, where two CEO of energy industries discuss. Pay special attention in this interview, as many of those stated, are part of the story which you'll come up during the game. Moreover, before, after and even during the game you 'll watch videos which provide a cinematic sense.

GAMEPLAY : It's so vast. It starts as a simple "troop strategy" with Jefferson being the leader of a small infantry team. As the game progresses, you 'll be able to build advanced troops and buildings, plus you 'll get access to advanced technologies. Your main resource is oil, but you have the chance to arrest enemy infantry units and get some money too. If you 're a fun of building a large vehicle army and begin a "blind" attack, don't try it. A balanced combination of vehicles + ground troops with the proper air support is needed. The A.I. of your army and the enemy is one of the best I've seen in RTS's. You'll notice that if you deliberately leave a weak point in your base, the enemy will hit exactly that location !!!

GRAPHICS - SOUND : The graphics are very detailed. Realistic explosions and fires (sometimes you won't be able to see the ground from the smoke), battle sceneries (from city infantry fights to desert ones). If you 've visited London recently, in the 2nd mission you 're gonna love the detail from the yard of the Palace. As for the sound, it will give you the right atmosphere and put you from the beginning in a big agony.

CONCLUSION : The game over passed my expectations. If you 're an old Command & Conquer and Red Alert fan, i'm sure you 'll remember these words...

 

Rating: 4/5 Stars