More gameplay

Whether it is or not, the political reputation mechanic is a nice idea that could have used a little more fleshing out. Unfortunately destroying things like Golden Gate Bridge or the Sky Needle don’t have as much effect on the game as you would expect. Hopefully in the sequel this aspect will have a little more depth.

And speaking of the National Landmarks, they are features of most of the 25 different maps, along with their accompanying cities. Each map and mission has as its victory condition a certain number of points that you must earn by taking over the other factions cities or denying them your own. The more maps you control, the more funds you get to repair or add units to your army. These very simple objectives belie the incredible strategic depth that Shattered Union is capable of. You would think that after the criticisms I have leveled thus far that I didn’t have any fun, but that isn’t true. I found the game to be incredibly addictive, at least after wading through the first couple hours of trying to figure out what I was doing. After that I couldn’t stop playing it to pick up my pen and get the review in on time.

When you begin to see the interplay of the different unit types and their strengths, the game quickly changes from frustrating to deeply compelling and intricate. But like it did for me, it may take the average FiringSquad reader a lot of patience and a paradigm shift to get to the point were you can enjoy all that this game has to offer. One of the reasons for that is that it will come off as something of a dinosaur to most twitch gamers – it is after all a turn-based strategy game set atop hex-based maps. Yes, I said turn-based, not real-time. That means you move all your units, while the other team sits there, and then they move all theirs while you sit there and watch. If you haven’t supplemented your first-person shooter gaming with the occasional game of chess or Axis & Allies, Shattered Union’s slower tempo may take some getting used to.

The game adds to the problem by looking like a typical RTS game complete with terrain and units modeled in 3D. True, the graphics aren’t going to push your video card to the breaking point, but what is there doesn’t look like Advance Wars or even Panzer General. Instead it looks more like Command & Conquer: Generals. But Shattered Union, even on its tactical map is battle on the macro level. Each turn represents 24 hours time, and each single Abrams tank or Apache helicopter is meant to represent a larger number of them. And don’t expect them to be proportional either. If games like Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds chafe at your sensibilities because wookies are the same size as the AT-AT, you will find the same problem here. Infantry tower over skyscrapers like Paul Bunyan, and Humvees are twice the size of B2 bombers. If you can’t do the mental gymnastics to get beyond that, you will be missing out on an experience that may give you a much needed kick off of the FPS treadmill.


And perhaps you can kick a friend off as well. The most enjoyable part of Shattered Union is the multiplayer. Not only can you play online and over a LAN, (cue triumphant trumpet processional) but Pop Top has even resurrected Hot Seat play. That is right, spend a lazy afternoon battling with a friend while taking turns on only one computer. When you play this way yourself, you will wonder why you haven’t been doing it for years! (The answer – RTS games now rule the roost.) Unfortunately, the multiplayer is bitter-sweet. You can only play in skirmish mode and on the tactical maps; the strategic campaign is off-limits. It ends up being quite a torturous tease. When I found that out, it felt like being drawn to your mother’s kitchen by the sweet smell of freshly baked cookies only to see they are all on the floor. What on earth were they thinking?