Tom Clancy’s EndWar

om Clancy’s EndWar is the first title in the Tom Clancy franchise to take the form of an RTS. In the vein of other titles in the franchise, it attempts to blend realistic storytelling with strategic action, all for the pleasure of military game geeks across the world. The game recounts a not-so-distant future, where dwindling oil supplies have driven major world powers toward heavy militarization. In EndWar, the three primary factions include the United States, the European Federation, and those classic Clancy baddies, the Russians. Interestingly, the “universe” of EndWar is built around the same world where all those other Clancy games took place. That means you’ll find former Rainbow Six operatives planning strikes against groups led by former Ghost Recon team members. If the general leading the U.S. Joint Strike Force sounds familiar to longtime Clancy fans, they might want to consider breaking out the latest Ghost Recon game to get reacquainted with Scott Mitchell.

The underlying story is surprisingly thin after the game begins, however. The player is tasked with capturing satellite uplinks in major cities, which are essentially control points, in locations all over the globe. As you progress, new abilities and upgrades can be earned; nothing says “successful strategist” like the unleashing of air strikes or a WMD upon one’s foes, the very prospect of which will likely attract casual players to the RTS genre. Hardcore RTS gamers might be a bit stymied when first approaching EndWar, however. For one thing, the game focuses more heavily on fighting than resource management. This can be partly attributed to the previous release of the game on consoles, where players are presumably more interested in loud noises than thoughtful tactics. Some may find this “dumbing down” to be an annoyance, but in truth, the game is still quite fun to play. Another distinctive feature – and certainly EndWar’s most touted one – is the voice command system. Find yourself a good headset, and you’ll be able to control just about every element on the battlefield with words alone. Barking commands at your forces and seeing the units blast enemies at your bidding is probably the most rewarding experience EndWar has to offer. Granted, no voice recognition software works perfectly all the time, but EndWar does it better than any other game I’ve experienced thus far. An onscreen command menu also branches out as you speak, guiding you through all possible commands so you can learn the voice mechanics in a quick and fluid manner.

Each faction offers the same basic unit organization, though some players might find themselves attracted to factions based on differences in their individual characteristics. The Russians typically have the bulk of heavily armored vehicles, while the European units have the best speed, leaving the US as a fairly “balanced” bunch. The arsenal contains a nice mixture of futuristic goodies from robotic drones to high-energy lasers, lending a slick, sci-fi appeal to the game. The gameplay modes themselves offer some nice variety, as well. One moment you’ll be leading a tactical assault on JFK Space Center, the next you’ll be scrambling to defend Paris from invading armies. The online play even offers persistent battlefields to some extent, where players will no doubt be eager to pit themselves against each other in a bid for world domination. The possibilities for skirmishes in each game mode are fairly wide, although it would have been nice to see greater focus on storytelling. With Call of Duty games offering a strong narrative from multiple factions in a war, it seems like something similar could have been implemented in EndWar, at least on a broad scale if not on a personal level.

While most Tom Clancy games deliver excellent aesthetics, EndWar is an inexplicably disappointing standout. The aural landscape is rather drab, and lacks much of the solid sounds players have come to expect from other Clancy titles. The camera keeps the player close enough to the action that some sense of the battle’s scale should be present, yet there is very little beyond the chattering of soldiers that stimulates the ears. Like its simplified gameplay, PC RTS fans will likely blame the console roots of the game for its bland visuals. There is no reason the draw distance should be so deeply affected on modern hardware, yet distant geometry is extremely prone to pop-in. The animation’s weaknesses show easily at the close camera distance, and there is little detail to admire on the units themselves. Granted, the RTS was meant to draw players to the game based on its mechanics rather than its visuals, and EndWar manages to at least offer up some enjoyable gameplay.