I don’t want to start this review with a “back in my day” recollection but… Back in my day there was a game called “Squad Leader”. It was a military game with hexagon maps. To play the game you had to invest in a big binder that was full of rules. Then, when you got bored with those rules - you went to pay more money for more rules (and new scenarios). Am I bitter about those days? No, those were great times when me and my friends were not acting too hyper and could focus on the game.
2K games must have a few people on their staff that remember those days. Shattered Union for the Xbox is “Squad Leader” in a more simplistic form.
The story starts out as an unstable United States breaks into 6 factions after a dirty bomb destroys Washington D.C. Who blew the bomb is un-important as each faction is protecting their own interests and resources. A nice twist to the game is help that you get from the European Union and Russia. Could that be historically accurate? I don’t think it’s a far from the possible truth.
The first mode available is Skirmish. This is the basic game using a portion of the United States you can either attack or defend. There is unit against unit warfare, and also special powers you can allow or turn off at the beginning of the game. Your special powers can be good or evil. If you try to be good, your powers attempt to control the amount of collateral damage. If you want to be bad, you powers involve nuclear mayhem and the destruction of anything in your way.
The meat and potatoes of the game is Campaign mode. I will be honest and say I have not ventured into this mode, as I am having fun simply with skirmish. The only difference between skirmish and campaign is that how you utilize your super powers affects you political reputation
Multiplayer on Xbox Live. The only type of game you can play on Xbox Live is Skirmish. I thought it would be cool to play a campaign against another person, where you could log on, do your actions, then log out and have the players switch back and forth whenever they are able to. Like a chess match you set up and make a move when you walk by - but in this version that is not available.
Overall, I like the game. On the box it states that the game is action packed. I won’t go that far. The graphics are adequate, and the animations are effective. What draws me to the game is the “what if”… aspect. I thought, because there is a political reputation meter, it would be a bit deeper, but the meter is only activated by the destruction or protection of historical buildings and landmarks.
Bottom line: Get your brain thinking, grab a soda, and curl up with a good military simulation game!
The story starts out as an unstable United States breaks into 6 factions after a dirty bomb destroys Washington D.C. Who blew the bomb is un-important as each faction is protecting their own interests and resources. A nice twist to the game is help that you get from the European Union and Russia. Could that be historically accurate? I don’t think it’s a far from the possible truth.
The first mode available is Skirmish. This is the basic game using a portion of the United States you can either attack or defend. There is unit against unit warfare, and also special powers you can allow or turn off at the beginning of the game. Your special powers can be good or evil. If you try to be good, your powers attempt to control the amount of collateral damage. If you want to be bad, you powers involve nuclear mayhem and the destruction of anything in your way.
The meat and potatoes of the game is Campaign mode. I will be honest and say I have not ventured into this mode, as I am having fun simply with skirmish. The only difference between skirmish and campaign is that how you utilize your super powers affects you political reputation
Multiplayer on Xbox Live. The only type of game you can play on Xbox Live is Skirmish. I thought it would be cool to play a campaign against another person, where you could log on, do your actions, then log out and have the players switch back and forth whenever they are able to. Like a chess match you set up and make a move when you walk by - but in this version that is not available.
Overall, I like the game. On the box it states that the game is action packed. I won’t go that far. The graphics are adequate, and the animations are effective. What draws me to the game is the “what if”… aspect. I thought, because there is a political reputation meter, it would be a bit deeper, but the meter is only activated by the destruction or protection of historical buildings and landmarks.
Bottom line: Get your brain thinking, grab a soda, and curl up with a good military simulation game!
