SolarGaming

World In Conflict: Soviet Assault is a rather fun mission-type RTS, while with no resource management beyond tax income, it excels in what it delivers with awe inspiring visuals and strategic gameplay beyond what most can handle allowing countless of their troops to march into death. First up is the strategy elements in the game, this can sometimes feel as if it was a Total War game set in the "Modern Era" in which every single movement counts. Infantry and sometimes light transport can hide in the forests designed for ambushes and strategic placement for ground infantry. Infantry can go into buildings and use them as makeshift forts, making an apartment complex an MG nest, or even hold off tanks with AT units firing from windows that suddenly attack you from the side as you're going by. APC's are used as transport over land, and if it's amphibious even by sea if you are in need of that approach. Tanks are broken down into light, medium, and heavy. Light for taking out small infantry units and light transport, but are dominated by AT. Medium for taking out APC's, but are easily taken out by artillery. Finally, there's heavy that is for taking out buildings, and breaking through enemy locations to capture strategic points on the map, that have only two weaknesses I could find, air units and Tac Point bonuses. Anti-air is broken into light and heavy, heavy being mobile sam turrets mostly, and light using heavy bullets that tear apart helicopters mid-air, but both are easily taken out by land units. Air vehicles are in two different places, the "Tac Points" and the buy menu. The buy menu uses helicopters ranging from lightweight scouts used to find enemies moving around to flank or simply finding where the enemy is advancing from. Transport to quickly move behind enemy lines and fortify to capture a point. And heavy to take out armored units such as any tank, and some APC's. Artillery is broken down into light and heavy weight, as well as getting much larger single strikes through "Tac Points". Heavy for the Soviets are Howitzers that fire large shells that deal much more damage than the rapid fire artillery for Nato, or the balanced between version of American heavy artillery. Lightweight artillery takes out pretty much only light transport, and infantry which is a bit underwhelming at first but if you figure out where to fire with it, it can change battles around. Perhaps the best part of this game is the Tac Points that range from calling in paratroopers, to tactical nuclear devices. This is what expands the strategy in almost every way. The tac points such as the cluster bomb is devastating and should be kept close to you if you ever get the points. The nuclear device levels entire sections of the map with little to no effort besides getting there, and is by far the most visually and shows the best use of the game's physics. The lighter, cheaper tac points are made to allow for strategic flanks around enemies, or such as an A10 taking out a group of APC's or tanks. Here's a tip instead of moving infantry in to take out the enemy snipers use a Napalm strike on his position, or a bunker buster if he's in a building. The story is good for the most part, you take the role of both sides starting with the invasion of West Germany, killing the 6th armored platoon of America. This is the first battle of what is supposedly WWIII. The Soviets later invade North America through cargo freights and sneaking in to American homelands and attacking Seattle and fighting back the unprepared National Guard and U.S. Army. Although the most surprising part, is where a rather hated character turns loved by me where he sacrifices himself in the most honorable way possible, living up to the code that he will fight for his country no matter the cost. The part that was most surprising to me was it's what he wanted, he died and you had to call in the order to do it. Giving a fairly touching cinematic, and giving you motive to not let a strike be launched at Seattle later on. It shocked both sides as well, halting the soviet forces that attempted to go through the area, Paradise Falls, and shocked America by how they were almost forced to do it. Multiplayer is perhaps the best part allowing for some rather significant features, and the key feature is choosing a role and using it to cover the weaknesses for other players, although not completely as they do allow you to get some things in all parts which is commendable in it's own right but I'm going to give that a minus because it ruins part of the teamwork experience. The reason it earns it's 10/10 is for truly significant gameplay and it's complete add-on to the story of it's base game, giving you actual emotions when you order your men to kill. The multiplayer is amazing, and the Engine was made specifically for this type of game.

I got this when it was given away for free over the XBox Live Gold giveaway, did I like it? Not really. I will warn you, you can't relate it to it's far superior Civilization brothers on the PC if you want the most enjoyment out of this title, however I did because it is a port. The stacks in the game are pretty much how you'll win your battles, and the battle AI is idiotic for melee units, sometimes on attack your men will stand around strafing with archers firing at them, while on attack. Diplomacy is shallow, the most you can do is trade knowledge for gold, no alliances, defensive pacts, or trade agreements, just selling knowledge. There's little to no reason for real estate, you pretty much put a settler down, and you get the surrounding areas production science and gold, no strategic or luxury resources to hoard from your enemies. Most of the time you will end up with a domination victory due to how easy it is on lower levels, but on higher ones you will want to NEVER meet another civilization. The way ranged combat works is pathetic, making planes and any melee unit completely unneeded. The science system isn't at all well made, most of the time you advance to get little to nothing. Unit upgrades are actually well done with many different ways of going, such as medic being able to heal anywhere, guerrilla giving you bonuses on home territory, and one that makes you where you can move 2 squares at once. The Economy in the game, is idiotic often making you trade away knowledge for it, instead of having ways to get both with one city for people that enjoy playing as small compact civilizations. You can get any unit you have ever discovered, and again this ends up being a little suspicious, by this I mean archers with bow and arrows are good enough to take out bombers, fighter planes, and sometimes tanks if they have enough bonuses. The build-able wonders sometimes have little to no benefit, or break the game, like giving you a single nuclear device, or simply giving you a future technology instead of making you go down the tech tree. The culture system is as basic as it gets and it seems that it's well done enough for a bit until you realize that every wonder you construct gets you closer and closer to a culture victory, but that isn't a big deal if you are going for a different victory because you can simply not construct the UN. Although after all this, I feel they did their best, it's difficult getting something native to PC like this onto a console, especially when it's so complex as a Civilization game, and at times don't get me wrong it is enjoyable and has some advantages over even Civilization V, such as the armies system where you can stack 3 units of the same type to create an army, and as well as being able to sell knowledge, but EVERYTHING else is dumbed down, and overall kind of boring. Civilization Revolution is a buggy mess and lacks what make the PC editions so great and it pains me to hell being a fan of Firaxis' to say that. It earns it's 3/10 not by dumbing down things, but ripping them from their core and then some. I am SolarGaming reviews and I approve this message.

Single Player: Gameplay: While the core features are still there the actual feeling of Assassins Creed, at least for me, is not there. The combat is simple, but a bit too easy. In the earlier Assassins Creed games when you were fighting a target you at least had a challenge in open combat, but here you take them out by countering once or twice and doing a quick slash, or stab to finish him. Naval combat is a blast and where this game really shines, it's innovative system where random events at sea, such as storms or a convoy, can infuriate you with wanting those 132 Kegs or so of Rum in the British Frigate, but you know you really can't take it at that strength. You really can't get any new ships, you pretty much just upgrade the Jackdaw (Your personal Brig) with more Broadside Guns, Hull Resistance, and etc. The story had some shocking moments and really touching character scenes that I won't spoil, overall the Single Player for Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag was really good, especially the story. Multiplayer: While I really didn't dive far in to the Multiplayer I played enough to get the gist of at least what most people will be doing on the game. Missing a HUGE opportunity the game didn't add a Navy Battle game mode to the Multiplayer, the retical didn't seem to function very properly seemingly going a little to the right, but of course this could just be my skill level in the Multiplayer. The level editor I couldn't get to work for me but it seems most people could. Overall the Assassins Creed IV: Black Flag Multiplayer was kind of disappointing. Overall: Likes: A Great Story, with great characters, and writing. Naval Combat was really innovative for the franchise. Ship Customization. Random Events Dislikes: Difficulty Multiplayer