Interesting Concept Needs Polish
The game is based in the 80s, where the Cold War turns hot and basically escalates into WWIII. The basic premise is the same as the story in the Tom Clancy novel, 'Red Storm Rising.' It pits NATO forces versus Warsaw Pact forces in Europe.
It uses the same Eugens engine that RUSE used, but the gameplay is not the same. The game is set on a larger scale than RUSE and doesnt include basebuilding, it uses a resource system similar to World In Conflict or Order of War. (The gameplay itself is very similar to Order of War)
The game has hundreds of types of units broken down into different categories like logisitics, tanks, armored vehicles, helicopters, support, and recon. As you play the game either in single player or multiplayer, victories allow you to gather command points which are used as currency to unlock vehicle upgrade variants or new vehicle types which can be used in future games. The game also allows you to build presets of vehicles called decks that you can automatically load for a game based on a specific number of points.
Each game starts with a set amount of resource points which are used to purchase your force for the game. The map has strategic object areas which supply command points and increase your resource income when occupied by a stationary command vehicle. These areas also are used as conditions for victory in certain games. (i.e. capture the airfield)
The gameplay itself seems basic on the surface, and plays very much like WIC or Order of War, but actually does have an underlying layer of complexity and requires the ability to know how to micro manage resources. unlike most RTS games where units have unlimited resources, in WEE vehicles actually have a finite amount of ammunition as well as fuel, which requires you to use logistics vehicles like supply trucks and helicopters to resupply units in the field. This is the most strategic part of the game since vehicles such as tanks and helicopters can actually run out of fuel and not be able to move or field artillery can run out of ammo and not be able to fire. Also, each vehicle and unit generally has multiple types of weapons that can be toggled off and on which can be important when you want to save say, anti tank missiles for actual tanks.
The cons I've encountered mainly deal with the design of the game itself. The game doesnt really have a robust tutorial, so understanding how things work in the game can be daunting. The UI has a number of buttons and you are basically given no explanation of their purpose. Also, there are a number of other things that arent explained at all like unit morale, terrain, how line of sight works, ammo usage and fuel consumption.
There are also just in my experience so far balance issues with a number of units, most notably artillery being very overpowered and certain tank units (the T-72 for example) being almost indestructable. Also, the biggest disappointment for me personally was the absence of actual airpower. There are helicopters but no planes in the game. How can you make a modern combat game and not include A10s or Su-27s? At least include them as off-map call ins like WIC.
All in all, WEE is a fun game, and does have a lot of replayability factor if you are a wargame fan. The game does seem unpolished, this is partially due to the UI being designed to look like something from the 80s and partially due to the game actually being unpolished, it could stand to have a better tutorial as well as just better overall presentation, it looks sort of beta-ish. Theres practically no explaination of the interface or anything included in the game, which is kind of bad considering how important supplies are in the gameplay.
If you are a wargame fan, its worth picking up. It reminds me a lot of a very good board game I used to play in high school in the 80s made by GDW called The Third World War. http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3605/the-third-world-war only that game actually included airpower.
Its not as polished as RUSE, not even close to it, but does offer a more realistic approach to modern combat battlefield strategy and tactics.