In terms of gameplay, Act of War doesn't really do much that is notably new, but it does everything remarkably well. The game features a great blend of real-world and futuristic weapons, so it feels like you're glimpsing warfare a decade from now. And, if anything, the US Army and Task Force Talon are fairly interchangeable, since both belong to the same side. While the three factions are fairly diverse, there are still some clearly equivalent units on each side. The Army packs a lot of firepower, but it requires an extensive amount of base-building to unlock the most potent weapons Task Force Talon is a lot more versatile and mobile, but its high-tech equipment is expensive and the Consortium can churn out lots of low-level units relatively cheaply. As expected, each faction has its own strengths and weaknesses. Thankfully, there is no contrived plot device where you play as each of the three factions, so you don't get to play as the Consortium in single-player, though it is playable in skirmish and multiplayer. There are three factions: the US Army, Task Force Talon, and the Consortium, the evil conspiracy in the game. However, after the opening levels, the game segues into a more conventional real-time strategy game along the lines of Command & Conquer. There's so much live action footage at the beginning of the game that you get the feeling that you're taking part in an interactive movie. There are very little blue-screen effects in that scene, as most of it was shot outside with a large number of actors and extras. For example, one of the highlights is watching a street protest erupt into a gun battle, with commandos and bodyguards taking fire from behind armored limousines. While the acting isn't on par with what is found in motion pictures or television (it's also downright bad at times), the live action scenes are impressive, especially since we've rarely seen anything of this scale in gaming. Blended in the opening levels are a mix of live action, computer-generated, and in-engine cutscenes that enhance what's onscreen.
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From the get-go, your team will assault a terrorist training camp in the desert, and then battle around London in a running gunfight that shows off the game's excellent urban settings.
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In Act of War, you assume the role of Major Jason Richter, the commander of Task Force Talon, an elite direct action force equipped with state-of-art weaponry and tasked with conducting the toughest jobs. Act of War's opening introductory movie, cleverly placed so you watch it during the lengthy installation process, lays the groundwork, but the fun starts in the game's opening missions, where you'll discover that you're in for something more than the usual real-time strategy experience. Or, to be more exact, a Dale Brown techno-thriller, as Brown, a best-selling author, worked with the French team at Eugen to create a story about a looming energy crisis (Americans pay $7 for a gallon of gas) and how an international criminal conspiracy is perpetuating it. The game feels very much like a Tom Clancy-penned techno-thriller.
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But where Red Alert 2 played entirely for camp, Act of War goes for grit. The last time anyone attempted anything quite like Act of War was 2000's Command & Conquer Red Alert 2. Now Playing: Act of War: Direct Action Video Review By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's