Tom Clancy's EndWar

Tom Clancy's EndWar
From UBI Soft

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Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #607 in Video Games
* Brand: Ubisoft
* Model: 52406
* Released on: 2008-11-04
* ESRB Rating: Teen
* Platform: Xbox 360
* Dimensions: 2.00 pounds

Features

* Deeply customizable armies featuring unit ranks and hundreds of upgrades add up to endless replay value.
* Can be played almost entirely via the revolutionary voice command system.
* Experience a chillingly realistic vision of World War III in the fashion of the best techno-thrillers.
* Explore 40 stunningly realistic real-world battlefields set in Europe and the United States, including Washington D.C., Paris, and Moscow.
* Go to war online in a persistent multiplayer campaign allowing hundreds of player matchups in battles that can last for months at a time.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Nobody thought humanity could possibly let it really come to this, but in 2016, the unthinkable happens… The first nuclear exchange occurred over Middle Eastern soil. It lasted only 5 hours and resulted in the launch of the world’s first joint missile defense system to ensure peace, that is, until now.

With the United States, the European Federation and Russia at odds a final war is inevitable. Although intercontinental ballistic missiles have been rendered obsolete, command technology has evolved. Battles will be fought from war rooms, by the sound of human voice.

Leaders will rise and countries will fall. Experience World War III in your living room with Tom Clancy's EndWar, a revolutionary new war game built to maximize next-generation gaming consoles and completely controllable by voice.

The Storyline
The horrific nuclear conflict in the Middle East not only killed millions, it also crippled the world's fuel supply. With oil from that part of the world no longer available, crude oil prices skyrocket to $800 a barrel.

The vast Russian landmass now holds the largest accessible reserves of fossil fuels, making Russia the world's primary supplier of energy virtually overnight. With the massive economic boom it receives, Russia quickly re-establishes itself as a superpower and restores her military might.

In response most of Western Europe unifies to create the European Federation, a new nation destined to be a formidable 21st-century superpower. But things are also changing across the pond.

In 2020, the United States is on the verge of finishing construction on the Freedom Star, a controversial orbital military platform that will upset the balance of world power. The European Federation withdraws from NATO in protest.

Tensions between the European Federation, the United States, and Russia are building and will soon reach the breaking point. The EndWar is about to begin. Which side will you fight on?

The European Enforcer Corp
The European Federation is a new superpower, founded in 2018 to consolidate political and economic power in the face of the world energy crisis and accelerating security and environmental concerns around the globe.

Though publicized as an evolution of the European Union, demanding admission criteria disenfranchised all but the wealthiest nations of Europe. The UK and Ireland declined membership (instead joining the New Commonwealth), as did Switzerland (fiercely neutral as always).

Consummate professionals, the European Federation Enforcer Corps is made up of veteran elite counter-terrorist and peacekeeping forces from throughout Europe. Calm and precise, these highly-trained and experienced soldiers are especially skilled in urban warfare.

They excel in electronic warfare as well as advanced directed energy weapons technology, and have the fastest battlefield vehicles. The Enforcer Corps also have access to the world's best "less than lethal" weaponry.

The United States Joint Strike Force
Once strong allies with Europe, the U.S. has broken ranks following the dissolution of NATO and the formation of the European Federation. The two superpowers are now locked in a costly and controversial military space race.

This rivalry builds to a crescendo when the U.S. prepares to launch the Freedom Star, a huge military space station that Europe suspects could be used to neutralize its missile shield satellites. An evolution of today's Marine Expeditionary Units, the Joint Strike Force is known for their integration of air and ground combat capabilities.

Epitomizing the saying, 'high speed, low drag,' these elite soldiers excel in precision firepower and can rapidly deploy anywhere in the world. Moreover, their stealth technology and the accuracy of their weapons are second-to-none.

The Russian Spetsnaz Guard Brigades
The world's number one supplier of oil and natural gas since the 2016 nuclear war in the Middle East, Russia has experienced an economic boom of epic proportions. It has used its newfound riches to build up its military to levels beyond the Cold War and is once again a true superpower in the world arena.

Soldier for soldier, no force on the planet can match the Spetsnaz Guard Brigades in terms of raw, brute force. Hardened veterans of Russia's many regional conflicts, these troopers are a highly effective, determined, and deadly force.

The Spetsnaz tend to focus on heavy weapons and heavy armor, and often ingeniously modify standard-issue equipment to suit their needs, resulting in vehicles bristling with bolted-on weaponry the original designer never dreamed of including.

Key Game Features:

* Wage war without ever picking up a controller with the revolutionary voice command system.
* Experience a chillingly realistic vision of World War III in the fashion of the best techno-thrillers.
* Explore 40 stunningly realistic real-world battlefields set in Europe and the United States, including Washington D.C., Paris, and Moscow.
* Deeply customizable armies featuring unit ranks and hundreds of upgrades add up to endless replay value.
* Go to war online in a persistent multiplayer campaign with fully-customizable battalions and units.
* Watch the destruction unfold in spectacular detail in massive battles featuring hundreds of units and fully destructible environments.

Join in a Battle Armed for the Future
Instead of the traditional top-down view, EndWar uses a unique third-person camera that puts you in the heart of the battle. This means that you get a bird’s-eye view of the devastation that unfold as hundreds of units engage the enemy on fully destructible battlefields.

Also, true to the Tom Clancy legacy, EndWar deals with fictional, but strikingly true to life situations and scenarios and features a wide range of vehicles, weapons, and equipment based on real-world military research.

The result is a frighteningly realistic and relevant war-game experience that provides players with unprecedented access to the cutting-edge technology of tomorrow’s wars and the combatants that may faceoff in them.

Customer Reviews

Best RTS not on the PC platform.
I must start out by saying this is the most advanced RTS game I have ever played. This game blew me out of the water as soon as I began playing it. The graphics are better than many others, the storyline is incredibly in-depth, customization potential is spectacular, and on top of that the controls are unmatched.

I really think there are two main parts of this game that make it a 5-star. 1) The storyline is incredible. I am a student studying political sciences and foreign relations, to me; this storyline has a basis on the worst-case scenario for WW3. It almost comes to the point of being scary in how true this plot could be.

2) The plot, graphics, fast load time, and customization are all things this game has, but the thing that really sets it apart from other games is the voice control system. When I first began to play it reminders and hints kept popping up all about the voice command system, not wanting to go through hours of training the command system I didn't plug in my headset.

However, when I did finally attach it and without any trainer I was playing and the X-Box understood every word, WITHOUT a trainer! I couldn't imagine playing End War without the voice command system. You can coordinate massive attacks with ALL of your units without selecting a single one!

Simply say the unit you want, where to go and who to attack and that unit will do it, even while you are selecting another unit to move manually. Between manual and voice control your entire army can be rapidly deployed and easily dominate the battlefield.

Bottom line is simple. Buy it! If you have a headset, use it! If you don't, buy one, the game comes alive when you use it!

Best RTS on the 360 yet.
This game uses an intelligent voice command system that allows one to interact with his units, off-map supports, and the map itself. The voice command is awesome, accurate and reliable. Graphics are good, nothing spectacular, but infantry units are well detailed. The campaign plays well, and can be short if you consistently win, but can last much longer if you have mixed performance.

Criticism:
The training portion leaves some parts of gameplay unexplored, and one must figure on their own. The game manual is nearly useless in its vagueness, and lack ability to answer any questions one may have, plus there are several typos in the manual. (That is just poor coming from a franchise such a Tom Clancy.)

Overall:
This is a game that I would say rent or play the free XBOX Live downloadable demo first, then if you like buy it. The game is fun, and if you increase the difficulty it can be seriously challenging. Plus, there are 50 achievments plus 10 more with the now out Downloadable Content that also included more maps and upgrades.

Good, but only the first time around.
Let me tell you, the whole reason I rented EndWar was because I was intrigued with its World War III premise. I also rented it expecting what's usual in a Tom Clancy game--a first-person shooter.

What I got was a strategy game.

Now, that's not bad; I absolutely love strategy games, but I wasn't exactly sure what this would turn out to be.

Basically, EndWar is about World War III. The story begins by putting you in the 'prelude to war' at the beginning of the game. This is the point where America, Europe and Russia are facing their own problems and stresses, which forces them into small skirmishes with one another. But, the real point comes when Europe destroys one of America's space shuttles. World War III is soon to follow.

When I first started playing the game, the tutorial prompted me to use the headset to command my troops. My headset was and still is damaged, but still workable. Whenever I tried to speak into it, I got a 'you're speaking too loud' message.

This was surprising and, oddly, amusing. I figure if it's still processing what I'm saying, does it matter if the microphone is reading my voice as 'too loud?' Well, it apparently did, as I was never able to use the headset feature. The lack of that didn't make the game any less enjoyable though.

It's perfectly easy to command your troops with the controller commands, but the headset would've made the game a little more enjoyable, since you'd actually get to voice-command your troops and all.

Like any strategy game, your mission is simple. But, in this game, it's more than simple. You either, A) capture half the uplinks on the map and hold them for a few or, B) destroy all enemy troops. It's simple, but it doesn't give you a whole lot to do in each match.

You're either running back and forth, stealing uplinks from enemies, or engaging in firefights with your enemies (Europe/America/Russia, depending on who you play as.) The lack of strategy it actually involves is rather disappointing, because I expected I would be able to do a lot more than just capture uplinks.

The game explains that capturing the uplinks is to keep your enemy from knocking out your communications, which is understandable, but it doesn't add to the game. The fact that your enemy never seems to be afraid of you (even in the most drastic of situations) is also disappointing. In the conquest matches, you just everything. There's nothing to it, really; you're just killing everything, with little to no strategy whatsoever.

EndWar has a few different types of units. It's got the infantry, which are riflemen, who don't sport rifles, but machineguns; and engineers who have rocket launchers, but don't fix or work on anything. I found it odd how the designers called them `Engineers' when I didn't see them repair anything (but I could be wrong, considering I only played through the game once.)

There are also ground vehicles, which are the transports (mini tanks that allow you to load your soldiers inside of them,) tanks and artillery. You've also got the base of operations vehicle, which, without it, you can't push the back button and display your overhead map. And, finally, there's helicopters.

These units are what you use to dominate your enemy. But, fear not! You've also got special abilities you can use when you gain war funds after defeating the enemy. There's also a few other neat things (destroying enemy uplinks with bombs, or using kinetic strikes to massacre handfuls of units at a time.)

One problem with the game is that the gameplay becomes repetitive. It also doesn't leave anything to be desired, or anything you're working toward. After you get into the World War III part of the game, you automatically have all the unit types every time you enter combat. You can keep ordering them in without having to worry about running out of them, no matter what map you're on or whether you're playing capture the uplinks or conquest type maps.

The lack of main objectives, coupled with the small amount of units and their never-ending supply [and lack of realism as to how so many units would be so easily deployable,] doesn't make the game that much fun after a little while.

I played the whole story (until victory) once, tried to play it again, then found myself not wanting to replay the same story, but with a different faction. Oh, and playing the same repetitive game again wasn't really up my alley either.

In all, EndWar is the kind of game you'll at least want to try if you like strategy games. I personally wouldn't pay fifty/sixty dollars for this game. I doubt I'd even pay forty or thirty for it.

This kind of game, with its repetitive gameplay and lack of real strategy elements, isn't up there with the other strategy games I've played in the past. But, I do recommend renting it, just to enjoy the experience. It's not a bad game, really; it just doesn't give you a whole lot to come back to after you win WWIII the first time around.

I give EndWar three out of five stars, with three out of five on the fun level.

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