Wargame: European Escalation is a disaster and a complete disappointment. Don't believe the hype.
Wargame: European Escalation tries to take from games such as RUSE and World in Conflict add much more to create something very unique. It fails miserably.
1)The story, although realistic, and very possible, is somewhat boring, and objectives are usually bland. It could have possibly been driven much better by more cut-scenes, but those are few and they lack in content and length.
2)The interface is absolutely abysmal. The location and placement of buttons is very very bad. And why do I have to click show info, when this info can be shown to me by simply mousing over units. Show info should be on by default and player should have option to turn it off when it's obstructing view.
3)In a game that is trying to be so strategic and so ambitions, it's inexcusable not to include some way to have your tanks face the enemy with their most armored side, or any side you want for that matter. I constantly feel like there is too much macro and not enough micro. There really should have been a way to have MORE control over each individual unit.
4)Again, back to horrible controls. I am constantly gettign lost between trying to single out individual units to do something with them and using teams. Slit, join... Split, regroup... Split, regroup again.... ANNOYING. TEDIOUS.
5)I thought units were ordered to move with the right click? But then why is it that they randomly decide to move on left click? It drives me nuts. When I try to deselect units to select something else using left click, I end up ordering a unit to move instead!
6)Moronic AI on both sides... Example: My heavy tank group closes in on two recon light tanks. Instead of running away they stay and fight just to get absolutely owned a few seconds later.
Another example: My anti air units rush a group of grounded helis. The helis are NOT out of fuel. Instead of taking off and flying away to regroup and fight me again later with support, they lift up, stay and fight! Off course they get destroyed very quickly.
7)Mission after mission I am tasked with same boring, tedious objectives... Go clear this.. Go capture that. Even 90's command and conquer was more fun than this.
8)It takes literally forever to get anywhere on the map. I end up spending hours to complete a single mission. This is not acceptable. Any normal person should have work and/or school unless he steals/scams others for money for a living instead of working for that money. Don't know about you but I work/go to school for 12 hours every day, and I cannot play games like this.
You might think that such games are simply not for someone like me. WRONG. I loved RUSE and World in Conflict, because they did not suffer from control issues, I could have quick 15 min sessions, and game-play was overall much more enjoyable.