The time has come to take a break from WWII games with Sierra's World in Conflict, a real-time strategy adventure that drops gamers into a far more devastating WWIII. Taking place in an alternate timeline, the Cold War heats up and escalates into a full-blown military conflict. Facing collapse, the Soviets take up arms and march into Europe. While NATO deals with the threat, a secondary assault occurs on American soil. Players must take command of armies and repel the invasion.

World in Conflict pits late 1980s era NATO forces against Warsaw Pact nations, although the primary focus will be on America against the Soviets. The developers, Massive Entertainment, decided to diverge from its sci-fi themed Ground Control games by focusing on modern warfare. All units will be based off of actual vehicles, infantry weapons and planes that existed in 1989. Resource gathering, a long-time component of any RTS game will be removed, leaving players to focus on tactical strategy and combat. With no resources, players have a limited number of units that can deploy at once, known as a replenishment number. The replenishment number steadily increases as rounds progress, but players must find ways to deal with the limitations, by purchasing the right units and using them effectively.

Yet, resource limitations won't hold back the massive destruction World in Conflict promises. Whether using artillery barrages or F-15 strikes, the environment pays the price. Collateral damage takes on a whole new meaning here, since every object in the game crumbles and breaks, including buildings, cars and forests. Furthermore, one must not forget the devastation a well-placed tactical nuke will cause. All graphics will be rendered using the proprietary MassTech engine, which promises to deliver incredibly realistic units and battlefields.

Internet player match-ups will be provided through the Massgate service, which will receive an overhaul for better usability. Similar to Ground Control II, World in Conflict supports "drop-in-multiplayer," allowing players to jump into games already underway. As soon as they enter, they choose a specialization (Infantry, Armor, Support Forces or Aerial combat), creating an added emphasis on teamwork. Players who get tired of their roles have to option of sacrificing all of their units to switch over to a different specialization. Teams achieve victory by mastering their areas of specialization and working together in concert.

Based on the relatively untouched topic of the Cold War and using modern day units and high-end gaming technology, World in Conflict has a great deal going for it. Scheduled to release in 2007, this could b

e one of the more unique strategy offerings to come along in quite some time.

Related Links
World in Conflict Game Guide

Official Website

Sierra