The RTS genre has long remained the domain of PC gaming due to the difficulty of perfecting a control scheme that will work on consoles. While there have been some attempts to port titles like Battle For Middle Earth, Supreme Commander and a few others, these efforts have fallen far short of offering the same experience one can get on the PC.

Enter Ubisoft Shanghai and their newest title Tom Clancy's EndWar. EndWar represents probably one of the most innovative and most successful implementations of the RTS genre on the console platform that we've seen to date. Instead of trying to emulate difficult poinpoint mouse and keyboard style controls onto a console pad, Ubisoft has chosen to ignore the console pad altogether using voice technology.

When we first heard that EndWar would be controlled almost entirely by voice commands we were somewhat skeptical. Barely 30 minutes into the game our fears were laid to rest. Having spent some extensive time with EndWar, MSXBOX-WORLD is pleased to let you know that not only do the voice controls work, they provide an RTS gaming experience that is unlike anything you have ever experienced before, and by far the best way to play the genre on a console.

EndWar takes place 10 years in the future with Superpowers USA, Europe and Russia on the brink of war. Thanks to Star Wars type missile defence shields, nuclear war is now an impossibility, meaning that conventional warfare is once again king. The single player campaign introduces the initial story that sparks the war, leading into a second campaign aptly titled WWIII.

Gameplay:

For those of you that haven't tried the demo, the game basically works like this: Maps have "uplinks" that can only be secured by riflemen and engineers. Uplinks give you more Command Points (CP) and CP can be used to call in more reinforcements to the battle. CP can also be used for special abilities... when uplinks are upgraded by riflemen or engineers you can gain access to abilities like air strikes, electronic warfare or force recon (AI controlled infantry allies).

Once one side has more than 50 percent of the map uplinks a 5-minute victory timer starts. The losing side then gains access to a one strike Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) as well as the ability to "Crash" an enemy uplink.

Both powers are devastating. Crashing an uplink basically removes it from the game (and victory conditions). WMD's are brutal as well as a well placed WMD can take out multiple units as well as disabling the upgrade on an uplink. Once the losing side has expended a WMD, the other side then gains access to their own WMD for a retaliatory strike... this means that you need to be really careful before using a WMD (if losing), as the enemy will surely use theirs.

Units in the game include

Tanks - Tanks beat transports, riflemen and engineers (when out of cover).

Transports (can carry riflemen and engineers, also act as mobile AA) - Transports beat gunships and engineers (when out of cover.

Riflemen (secure uplinks the fastest)- Riflemen beat engineers.

Engineers (Upgrade uplinks the fastest) - Engineers (when in cover or garrisoned) beat transports gunships and tanks.

Gunships (attack helicopters, also fastest unit in game, great for scouting)- Gunships beat tanks, riflemen, engineers (when out of cover) and artillery.

Artillery (long range doom)- Artillery (only from long range) beats transports, tanks, riflemen and engineers.

Command Vehicle (allows access to "SITREP" tactical map).

From our experience the game is expertly balanced once you know what you are doing. It's not really anything like any other RTS out there as the way the voice command works when you move your troops by ordering them to move to a location (such as uplink alpha/delta/zulu/etc for example) or attack an enemy unit. While the voice controls will take maybe an hour or so to get down pat, once you understand the system, it really does click. The voice controls provide a method of control far superior to any other console RTS to come before, and we fully expect to see voice technology begin to appear in future console RTS titles.

Graphics:

Rating the graphic style of EndWar we found somewhat difficult. While EndWar's graphics "do the job" they aren't as intensive as other titles out there. The actual combat unit models themselves look superb, and combat between units is punctuated by satisfying explosions with nary a slowdown. Combat zones we felt to be abit drab looking, however it's obvious that Ubisoft was much more concerned with how building/uplink/cover/tree/hill placement affect gameplay strategy than they were with making everything look pretty. This is something we can appreciate as terrain placement can make a massive impact on gameplay.

This is not to say the game is ugly looking per say, it's just not going to win any awards. Overall we felt that the graphic style suited the world pretty well and were nice enough looking to do the job.

Audio:

The audio ques in the game works in conjunction with the voice controls to really immerse you in the role of "commander". When you order a unit via voice to a certain location, you are instantly greeted with a "yes sir/right away sir/moving out" response. Units will even complain if you order them to attack a unit they will most certainly lose against, which will help new commanders enormously. All of these audio ques between commander and troops serves to fully create the illusion of being hunkered in a command bunker, and controlling the fate of those units on the battlefield. The immersion factor is really intense in EndWar thanks in part to the audio tying directly into the fully implemented voice system.

In terms of actual game sound effects, tanks rumble across the battlefield, gunship blades whirl realistically, and actual explosions vibrate loudly through your game speakers.

We felt that the overall sound effects were really well done, it's obvious a lot of thought was put in by Ubisoft to making sure the sound really immersed the player directly into the gameplay experience.

Longevity:

The single player campaign is only in the game really to prepare you for multiplayer. There are two single player campaigns, one introducing the basic gameplay mechanics as well as the reason for the war, the second campaign consisting of the actual war itself, from the perspective of whichever faction you choose to play. In terms of story, this was abit of a disappointment given the Tom Clancy roots of the title. The storyline is pretty barebones, however the gameplay more than makes up for this.

The meat of the game lies in a fully persistent multiplayer mode called Theatre of War. Theatre of War allows you to choose a faction and over several days your nation (Russia, Euro, USA) will wins or lose the war based on what happens online. Matches come in the 1 vs 1 variety or 2 vs 2. After winning a match you make cash that can be used to upgrade your units with special abilities in the barracks, and surviving units also gain rank (certain upgrades can only be used by ranked up units). Upgrades are based on rank, meaning it's very important to try to ensure your units survive to fight another day. During a match units that are disabled are evacuated off the map by AI support choppers keeping their rank for future matches. Enemy forces however have the choice of "finishing off" your disabled unit, which essentially is a form of perma death. Units that have been killed lose their rank and access to higher rank based upgrades and combat bonuses afforded by higher rank. This is a very cool gameplay mechanic which forces players to really think about unit placement, and more importantly it also keeps players from using their troops like cannon fodder. Unlike other RTS's where it pay's to rush multiple units into battle, EndWar is always forcing you to think about what you're doing and consider the penalties of what a failed strategy could potentially cost you.

Essentially the persistence of the Theatre of War mode will no doubt create a fanatical online community that keeps this game alive months, if not years, down the road. We feel that EndWar's online mode represents one of those rare console efforts that will foster a hardcore community, similar in many ways to what you often see with a PC RTS fan base. Ubisoft has also promised tons of support for the game as well, starting with a patch that will increase the current 2v2 match type to 4v4.

Overall:

EndWar represents something totally new and unique in the world of console RTS gaming. The voice technology implemented in the title provides an immersive experience that will allow players to concentrate on their gameplay strategy rather than worrying about fiddling with a difficult UI interface.

The gameplay itself won't appeal to everyone. Like any genre there will be hardcore fans as well as those who would rather be shooting folks up in an FPS. The thing is, though in terms of FPS's there are a multitude of choices. Console RTS choices on the other hand are extremely limited. And Tom Clancy's EndWar, as an example of the RTS genre on a console, we believe that it has never been done better or implemented so slickly.

Put very simply, EndWar is a must buy for any console owner that has been waiting for a console war game done right.