Rush for Berlin – Recon (PC)

Armchair General found a preview copy of Stormregion’s Rush for Berlin slid under our door this morning and we promptly threw it in to get a first look. Unfortunately for yours truly, I realized pretty quickly how rusty I’d become at RTS games like this – but I had great fun re-learning my skills! Despite my rust and despite being a pre-release copy (not quite complete and only containing two missions) I was able to get a good look at the gameplay, units, and graphics.

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You can tell by looking at these screenshots the game itself is visually stunning, with great detail in the units, men, and of course the landscape. This makes the immersion factor quite good for any fan of this genre (although you may also loose your men in all the detail!). The Paris mission was incredible looking, and I was more often using the game to go explore the city streets and cafes than guiding my men (much to their misfortune). I can’t deny that cobblestone streets running along picturesque riverfront is the perfect place for good old fashion street fighting.

As you load up the mission, you are given a general outline of what to expect. This is presented very clearly using a video map showing your initial location, and where you need to go. You select the men you want to start with you (your core group) and then head to the front lines. Each mission comes with a short "historical" introduction (remember this is set in a fictional universe where Germany fought much better than she did historically) and the action begins. While my limited preview was lacking most of the units which will come with this game, you can expect the retail release to have jets, super-heavy tanks such as the German Maus, rockets, and all manner of "toys" as they are called by Stormregion.

Gameplay is pretty easy to pick up, even for this rusty old-timer. Simply select your units and click where you want them to go or fight. However, you’ll need to coordinate and plan rather than use the "select all/attack" method to win these scenarios. The game introduces officers to the mix, giving each side key men which can tilt the outcome of a battle (e.g., deploying the Panzer Ace to give one of your tanks a bonus in combat). My efforts to use combined arms attacks was so-so – which was frustrating on the one hand, but great on the other because it means there is more depth to this game than meets the eye. The missions also have side-tasks which pop up as you go along, giving you a non-linear environment. Another interesting aspect is the "factory" in your base, allowing you to custom produce units depending on the changing conditions (infantry at first, tanks later for example).

For fans of the RTS genre, and World War II especially, there appears to be great depth of gameplay and a variety of units which aren’t the same as we’ve witnessed time and again in other titles. We’ll have to wait and see what comes out of the factory in the full version, but there is nothing to suggest this game won’t live up to expectations.

Rush for Berlin

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A Tiger tank protects your base.	Russian tanks provide the fodder for you.


The French mission has interesting diverts, such as stopping the Nazi’s from looting the Louvre.	Stunning visuals abound literally around every corner.