First of all, let me just say that I have had this game for a while (I actually went to the store at about 3AM the day it was released to get it after a friend told me that there was no DRM on it). I had played it on the 360 but even though I was quite impressed and the controls worked out quite well, I prefer my strategy games to be on the PC.

First, I want to note what the developers did right.

When I first installed it, I had no problems either during the install or when I started it up to play it. With no DRM, I didn't have to worry about online authentication/activation (which was a good thing since at that time I was without internet) or other potential problems with DRM software. Since it runs without the disk, I can put it away in a safe place. I will also be able to buy a copy for my laptop when I get it without having to worry about carrying the disk around everywhere I go.

As for the game itself, I have few major complaints. I only sometimes use the voice commands, but when I do, my units will respond to my orders without problems roughly 90% of the time. The graphics may not be exactly top of the line, but they are still impressively detailed and more than enough to keep me happy (I would rather have more focus on good gameplay anyway).

Another area that was done well was unit design. I really enjoyed the different units and how they were loosely based on present day experimental designs (the Spetsnaz Su-38 Slamhound fighter, for example, resembles the real-life Russian Su-47). They manage to be futuristic but real enough to actually exist in the time this game takes place.

I also liked the role of WMDs in this game. When a faction is losing the battle, DEFCON 1 is initiated and that side recieves authorization to use its most powerful tactical strike: the orbital high energy laser for Europe, the orbital kinetic strike for the U.S., and the vacuum bomb (basically a missile-mounted fuel air bomb) for Russia. Once this strike is called in, however, the other side is then authorized to retalliate with their own WMD. This means that, unlike in most other games, there are consequences to using your WMD.

There are also unique little touches that one may overlook at first. For example, while not crucial to the actually gameplay, I love the little videos that play in the corner of the screen when you call in a tactical aid. For example, when you call in an airstrike, a short video will play showing an in-cockpit view of the pilot hitting the weapons release before it zooms out to an outside view of the weapons under the aircraft wing. All of the other tactical strikes have there own videos and are unique to each faction. There are also videos for certain events, such as capturing/upgrading uplinks or, another of my favorites, when DEFCON 1 is initiated.

Another nice touch is one I noticed on the last mission in the prelude to war campaign. When I ordered my units to a location, my tanks and transports lined up and actually drove down the road while my infantry moved nearby just beyond the treeline. It game the appearance of an organized convoy rather than a disorganized mass of units. I also noticed that groups of units also seem to all move at the speed of the slowest unit, which prevents my units from getting strung out across the battlefield or arriving at a location early without support.

The battlefields themselves are considerably large and detailed. They are also designed in a realistic manner. For example, on the map titled Rovaniemi, the airbase actually looks like an airbase. There are aircraft and maintanence hangers, a runway and taxi ways, an air traffic control tower, and what appeared to be the HQ building among other details. On other military base battlefields, other details such as base housing and barracks can be seen. The capital maps (Moscow, Paris, and Washington D.C.) are also impressive as well. Different weather effects are also present. One of my favorite examples is on the map titled Sevastopol. Over this Black Sea port, the skies are dark with low-hanging storm clouds and lit up with frequent flashes of lightning while the rain continues to pour down.

Unit animations are equally impressive. For example, when infantry are ordered into a transport, they don't just run to it and disappear. The transport lowers its doors and the infantry climb in and sit down. When garrisoning a building, infantry enter the doors and appear in the windows and on balconies. These are just a few examples. Others include the delivery of infantry and vehicles from their airborn transports.

Another well done feature, in my opinion, is the way the camera is attached to the unit you currently have selected at the time. It is a realistic way to limit your view to only what your units see at the time, and while it wouldn't work in more traditional RTS games, it works out very well here. To see the overhead/satellite view of the battlefield, you have to access the Sit-Rep funtion of your command vehicle.

Finally, I was very impressed by the customization that was available to the different units in between missions in the barracks. The ability to use credits earned in battle to upgrade units with sufficient rank allow for one of the most customizable RTS games I have played to date. It also really gives incentive to bring your troops home alive, which is made a little easier by the fact that you can evacuate dying units off the battlefield before they are lost. Further more, some of these upgrades allow you to negate some of the weaknesses of units when they face an enemy that they are most vulnerable to.

Now, its time for me to look at what I wish was done differently and make some suggestions.

My first problems lie with the gameplay itself. First is the lack of any flanking options. For example, with other similar games, if you could get into position behind a tank and fire on it from the rear, it took greater damage. While not the most important change for me, it would be a welcome change. The most important change that I would like is to be able to conceal my forces with a smoke grenade or counter missiles with flares. This could allow my tanks to survive just a little longer when facing enemy helicopters. These two things alone would do wonders to the games strategic depth.

Finally, the story could have been told with at least a little more detail. While I enjoyed the between mission news brodcasts and the mission briefings themselves did a very decent job of letting me know the basics of what was going on in the world, there was some room for improvement. Perhaps some more cutscenes or in-game events could have helped out there. However, these small complaints aside, I realize that the core of the game was likely meant to be the multiplayer.

All in all, I personally enjoy EndWar. Perhaps some of the issues I have with it (the ability to have flanking manuevers and counter-measures being most important) can be addressed with a patch or, most likely, an expansion pack, as I noticed that everything happens away from the Pacific Theater. Even with these minor issues, I have recently bought a couple more copies for friends and the two of them, for the most part, seem to enjoy it about as much as me.

In short, I would give EndWar a score of 8/10. Well done!

Good write.