In their view, the global economy has overwhelmed any efforts at price controls. The energy companies deny responsibility for the price inflation. What little crude (raw materials) there is on the market is selling at usurious prices. I surely hope the expansion pack will light these gloomy aspects as they are a great draw-back to the overall quality of the story, greater than the muddy acting. One that bothered me most was the lack of any information concerning the Consortium's background and some biographic information about its members. However, there are some loose ends in the story. If you fancy techno thrillers like those of John Le Carre's or Tom Clancy, Act of War may also prove delightful, complete with international intrigue, double-crosses, and plenty of high-tech and military jargon. The story behind "Act of War" is inspired by the homonymous novel written by the former Air Force Captain, Dale Brown.
ACT OF WAR DIRECT ACTION EXPANSION FULL
Though not as complex as it sounds, every campaign map is full of dynamism, something that all the other RTS lacked. In addition, your access to some units or upgrades is restricted by the accomplishment of your objectives. On the other hand, in the missions with open battlefields you are given command over the more advanced, but much more expensive Task Force Talon. troops, which fit rather well in the landscape. For example, in urban combat you are usually given command over the U.S. In Act of War, the objectives (primary or not), the tech tree and the unit types have a reasonable level of consistence with the plot. The techniques of story-telling in Starcraft or Warcraft 3 resumed to some exquisite 3D rendered movies and a few lines changed between the main characters. Some could say the Blizzard's RTS games have shown some well-drawn plots as well. Moreover, many of the live action scenes have been shot outside, with a reasonable number of figurants. And this is something that has never been done in a RTS game before. As soon as the story catches you, you will feel as if watching a war/techno-thriller movie. Leaving aside the somewhat loose acting, - ok, I admit the actors have no talent whatsoever -, it is admirable how well was the cinematic footage interlaced with the game itself. Well, it didn't really succeed in brainwashing any of the RTS fans, but by carefully mixing some excellent aspects from many different such games this project managed to revive a dying genre and set new grounds for its future.Īlso notable is the care invested in the single player campaign. With brands like Total War, Sudden Strike or Nexus the classical real time strategy has miraculously survived thanks to both the zeal of Starcraft fans and the ingenuity of the men behind the Command and Conquer games (the most recent, Generals and Zero Hour).Īct of War: Direct Action remains true to the good ol' genre and, unlike many of its predecessors, it plays its card right.Įach and every one of the Eugen Systems' bad-ass programmers and artists deserve a five second French kiss for their evil scheme to take over our lives through computer games. War related games of today provoke gamers to an increasing gameplay complexity. Global instability.Ī shadowy Consortium of back-room conspirators determined to throw the world into utter chaos using widespread terror tactics.Ī new "direct action" operation known as Task Force TALON to counter massive military assaults, rescue hostages, conduct classified spy missions, take prisoners and stop an unpredictable enemy bent on toppling the world's governments.Without games like Act of War, the traditional RTS genre may have been good as dead.
This real-time strategy experience puts you squarely in control of counterterrorist forces and delivers a first look at tomorrow's war.Ī crippling energy crisis. Ripped from today's headlines, Act of War: Direct Action™ is a frightening tale of suspense, international intrigue and geopolitical military conflict.