Customer Reviews

Real War

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

The bottom-line is Real War has a lot of potential, but it is in desperate need of a serious patching. The good news is that the developers have released an "initial patch", which means a follow-up is in the works. Some out-of-the-box issues were quickly apparent, one or two of which were rectified with the "initial patch", but there are quite a few which still remain.
Any RTS that permits your troops to stand, oblivious, to incoming enemy fire without reacting to defend themselves (or, at the very least *run away*) is in need of some serious AI attention. It is bad enough when your units don't respond to an adjacent unit being attacked, but when the unit *itself* doesn't move/shoot/duck/run/anything(!), and just stands there(!!) it is completely unacceptable. Six or seven years ago it could be forgiven, but gamers are much more savvy now and we've grown to expect a little more than that.
In my years of gaming I've heard about many accounts of games with crash-to-desktop errors, but I'd never once experienced it myself... until now. I've had several fatal errors while playing this game, seemingly during level loads, even after patching.
Which brings me to the save/load times: abysmal. There's really no reason why a gamer with a fast PIII, 256 Mb RAM, and a RAID should have to sit staring at a black screen just waiting to go from the gameplay map to the savegame menu. What exactly is it doing during all that time? Starcraft can save an 8-player LAN game in about three seconds, all without even leaving the gameplay map, so we know this is not an insurmountable problem.
On the upside, the game does look pretty good, but it seems a bit choppy, even when there's not a whole lot going on onscreen (and it's obvious that processor cycles are *not* being eaten up by efficient AI). The sound effects and radio chatter work well. R. Lee Ermey's voice-overs are gimmicky, but fun. Even the controls, while clunky at first, become pretty smooth once you get used to them, allowing you to manage an awful lot of units with only a few clicks. The map-zoom slider-bar is a great idea that I hope to see implemented in future games.
If Real War is the "game you've been waiting for" don't let these niggling issues scare you off. Out-of-the-box, it definitely has its issues, but the developers have been quick to move with a patch, and I'm fairly confident most of these other problems will be hammered out in the future. If you're an old codger like me, stingy with his gaming dollar, wait for another patch. However, it's still enjoyable, so if you're patient and forgiving about your software, don't be afraid to grab a copy.

This is a RTS I have been waiting for for a long time now. Real units and base types, scenarios, maps, logistics, etc. I cant tell you how boring sci-fi or futuristic RTS titles get after awhile.

I enjoy how the game played as well as enemy AI. It gets 5 stars for being what I wanted, REAL, and ultra cool. The only flaw in this game is the pathfinding, which can be a little wirey if your buildings are close together. Just build your vehicle yards away from confined areas. However this is something that will be adressed in a patch no doubt, so dont fret.

Overall, the game is very cool, but if you think the game tends to drag out over one map, just remember it is a military simulation and not fast paced like Command and Conquer too. Because this is real.

This game is not realistic at all. It is the worst war game I have ever played and I consider it to be a total rip-off. It is extremely doubtful that the US military uses anything remotely like this for training as is claimed. There is very little strategy, you are extremely limited in what you can build, which means your opponent is following the same strat you are. For example, you can only build one large bomber (realistically called a "carpet bomber" in the game) so you can't experiment with differing air power strats, nor could I build more than one airfield. This game is little more than a poor copy of Warcraft or Starcraft but is not nearly as much fun, as challenging, or even as realistic (Real Bad considering those two are fantasy and science fiction).

Given that this game is "based" on the military simulation, I thought it would be a pretty cool game. Unfortunately, I was wrong. It didn't live up to my expectations. Once you figure out how and what units to build, it becomes trivial to conquer the enemy. In several days I had conquered all of the missions except one. Skirmishes got boring.

On the plus side, this game features remarkably good graphics. Seeing your attack helicopters unloading missiles, and terrorists/infantry units doing back flips when hit with artillery is kind of fulfilling given today's current events.

This game does have some limitations, though.

Units tend to get stuck, and give up when you order them to a point across the terrain. If any obstacles are in their path, you sometimes have to guide them. I found the hovercrafts (which can carry heavy vehicles across water) especially difficult to control. When tasked with loading vehicles, sometimes they just wander off.

There are limitations on what you can build, and it isn't clearly documented what units or buildings are prerequisites for building other units. I found out through trial and error.

In any event, I expected more.

I bought this title because I love RTS games, and especially when you get into modern warfare. The main problem I have with this game is that it is only difficult (even on the hard level) for the first stages of the game. Basically, build a bunch of planes, bomb enemy buildings, then spend the rest of your time trying to chase and blow up enemy units that run around the map until you win. Many times there wasn't a need for me to use ground troops to invade the enemy. It's a good game for a weekend of use. Bought on a Friday, by Sunday evening I had conquered it.

If you have ever played a game like command and conquer or starcraft and then dreamed of a strategy game based on modern technology, then this is the game for you. Although it may appear to be only a command and conquer clone from the box, it is in fact incredibly realistic. It essentially matches 1980's U.S. technology against 1980's Soviet technology, and is incredibly accurate, down to the fuel drum found on the back of a Soviet t-72 tank. the IFV, M2 Bradley, M1A1, F16, 15, 14, 18, B - 1, Tu - 160, A - 6, Su -25, Mig - 23, Kuznetsov Class aircraft carrier, are among the dozens of actual historical military untis to appear in the game. Ticonderoga class cruisers launch towmahawk cruise missiles from miles out at sea, even accurately portraying the launch sequence. The game is also very simple to play and easy to learn, but that does not make it a simple game at all. For anyone who has any type of interest in books such as red storm rising by tom clancy, or arc light by eric l. harry, this is a game that you would thoroughly enjoy. the only problem is playing to much of it!

Real War is a good game but has a few bugs to work out. Tanks and people get stuck and sometimes go to the end of the map before going where you tell them. Earning money is a plus in the game instead of harvesting spice or whatever you have a supply chopper supply you with money. Buildings have very good detail but hard to place and some building have to go next to another. You have a limited # of units you can build. When the games get fixed will be a great game but it looks like the developers were in a hurry to get out the product before testing it and maybe trying to beat Command and Conquer's Generals which is suppost to be excellent. Hope this was helpful. IF you get this game make sure to update the game to work better.

Don't let the cover and ads for this game fool you, Real War is really poor as real time strategy (RTS) games go. Even though it is advertised as being based on a Joint Chiefs of Staff training game, Simon and Schuster Interactive has put out a highly inaccurate game with poor replay value. The most intriguing part of this game is its storyline, an all-too current battle of America versus terrorists. That's where the comparison stops. Unlike the Al-Qaeda, the Real War's evil-doer's, Independent Liberation Army, have access to Tomahawk missile launching Cruisers, Attack Aircraft Carriers, and seemingly limitless ground assets of moderate complexity.
The saving grace for this game is its interface. It is easy to zoom in and out to keep track of you units. This game is best enjoyed by your seven-year old nephew who does not have a grasp of the destuctiveness of modern weapons. Case in pont, it is entertaining watching an infantry unit sprint Carl Lewis-like in the open past a Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) with .50 caliber machine firing away. The infantryman will typically last 20-30 seconds. Moreover, tanks blast away at each other often sustaining more than three or four direct hits before there armor gives way. Lastly, a missile from a cruiser will hit a helicopter or plane and do only moderate damage. The weapons effects are higly innacurate and remove all doubt as to the overall quality of this game.
Sadly, Red Alert is still the most accurate game at combining joint land, sea, and air units. However, if you wish for an incredible game of ground combat, without infantry, your best bet is JoWood's excellent production World War III: Black Gold.

I got the demo, and its cool. Its the best game I've ever played.
Its similar to red alert but the interface kicks, and you can do air to air combat and theres no stupid minerals to dig up. It has real looking tanks (M1A1 and T-80U MBTs) and lots of cool planes.
All of the units on both sides are in existance ( many are U.S. and former soviet Union ). The nukes are an especially nice touch. BOOM. Get it. I went to this web site for the U.S. military game thet its based on , and there are a lot of similarities especially in the interface. Buy it.

A good game, where you manage air , ground and naval units, many fights, but after you block the enemy's first attack, you can easily win.

Its graphics are better than the game itself, but the game is amusing and nice.