Perhaps one of the greatest, unheard-of WWIII-themed non-base-building RTS/RTT-hybrid out there.
WiC is one of those games where it one genre of game trapped in another genre's body whilst having an affair with another, third genre - whilst playing the campaign and looking at the overall interface will have you believe it is an RTS, it's online gaming system will tell you its FPS and playing multiplayer battles will show you that is some sort of weird, twisted bastard-child of RTS/RTT/FPS.
If you're reading my review, then you probably already know that its set in 1989 when those Silly Soviets invade Europe and then America blah blah blah. In fact, you're probably only reading this review because you've played it an loved it so much you want to read more about it!
Back to the point, the campaign, whilst the missions themselves are linear and often repetitive, makes up for this by its Grade-A voice acting and plot (written by Cold War veteran Larry Bond.) Whilst some may feel that the "outnumbered American heroes against the locust hordes of Commies" theme is a bit over-the-top and trying to prove a point, usually players wont mind and will actually feel themselves become attached to the characters as the story progresses.
Now, to the multiplayer. This is where the game TRULY sticks out. Basic battles consist of three modes (Domination, Tug-of-War and assault) and have two teams (Soviets vs. America or Soviets vs. NATO) exchange shells through four different classes of warfare. Air, Armour, Infantry and Support all have their own strengths and weaknesses, and in a battle full of veteran players these classes are all incredibly balanced. Speaking of groups and veterans, World in Conflict has extensive support for clans and inter-clan warfare, with the game's online network Massgate having an easy-to-use communication system between players and clans, as well as separate Clan-vs.-Clan severs and even individual forums for any clan created, ever.
This, right here, is the pinnacle of WiC. Whilst some people will play WiC for the strategy and tactical scope of the game, few would deny the most satisfying moments in a WiCer's career is receiving all the praise from his clanmates for dropping that expertly-placed Nuke on the long-time enemy clan's forces.
Even after nearly two years, World in Conflict still looks great, and any medium-range gaming rig will be able to run it on high settings. With such high attention to detail and huge replayability, WiC would definitely be a great investment for just about all gamers, even if you're an RTS-junkie or not. This game lives up to its expectations and certainly does justice to Massive's already impressive name.