An amazing and innovative game that is held back by its lack of depth.
User Rating: 8.5 | Tom Clancy's EndWar X360
Tom Clancy's Endwar is a game I have been anticipating for a long time and for the most part, this game lives up to my expectations. The major innovation of this game is the voice command system and it really delivers. Voice commands make commanding your army a breeze and allows Endwar to avoid the pit that console RTS games control schemes usually fall into. The system is not perfect though, sometimes the game will still mistake what you say if you don't say it clearly (like mistaking tanks for transports). Overall though the voice command system adds a lot to the game and sets this game away from the pack. Another strong point of this game is the production values. The graphics are top notch, every unit looks amazing (each infantry unit casts its own shadow), the maps look very good with lots of different environments and settings and even the menu system looks cool in the futuristic type of way. The sound design is also very solid giving a nice range of sounds from explosions to helicopter rotors that all sound good. The theater of war mode is a very cool and innovative addition to the game. Making the player pick sides and fight for global control adds a nice layer to the game especially when you add in upgradeable battalions.
Endwar is not a perfect game however and the main problem of this game is the lack of depth. For one, there are only 7 units and they are the same for all the factions. I realize that it would have been difficult and confusing to have too many units to order with the voice command system but a couple more units and a little more variation between factions (besides upgrades) would have been nice. I was also quite disappointed in the lack of a solid campaign mode. The single player mode is just a watered down version of theater of war and besides the prelude to war missions there is almost no story what so ever. This is too bad because Clancy games are known for their intense (if somewhat outlandish) stories, and having a solid story could have added some much needed depth to this great game.
Over all Endwar is a very good game with some awesome innovation but lacks the depth to make it amazing. If you are a fan of RTS games, thinking about getting in to them or just looking for something innovative you should buy this game.
