Any retail cachet that World War III might enjoy in the wake of the war on terrorism is utterly undeserved. This hodge-podge of ground skirmishes fails to provide anything like the high stakes and realism promised on the box.
In standard 3D RTS style, you carry out missions in Iraqi oil fields, Azerbaijani canyons, and southwestern U.S. suburbs. You’ll usually have to rely on base-building and resource (oil) management, though some of the “terrorist” scenarios are a more catch-as-catch-can type of mission. In stereotypical fashion, your tools are American techno-savvy against Arab cunning. For a game with such a sweeping title, the failure to include any air, navy, or marine units defies logic.
The missions all rely on contrived gimmicks for variety, and the mission objectives are poorly conveyed. For instance, after a time-consuming and mind-numbingly tedious series of battles, you’ll discover you need a specific, unarmed unit to carry out a task. But by then you’re out of money and the enemy has destroyed all bridges to your base.
WWIII is missing several standard RTS unit controls. You can’t set routes for ammo supply choppers, so they constantly fly in harm’s way. There’s no option to give standing orders to newly arriving vehicles, and units regularly defy orders.
Ultimately, terrorists nuke the Capitol, and the U.S. responds by sending a faceless hero to lead a dozen commandos for payback in a Chinook helicopter. Needless to say, WWIII is as empty-headed a treatment of modern conflict as you’re likely to find on store shelves.
In standard 3D RTS style, you carry out missions in Iraqi oil fields, Azerbaijani canyons, and southwestern U.S. suburbs. You’ll usually have to rely on base-building and resource (oil) management, though some of the “terrorist” scenarios are a more catch-as-catch-can type of mission. In stereotypical fashion, your tools are American techno-savvy against Arab cunning. For a game with such a sweeping title, the failure to include any air, navy, or marine units defies logic.
The missions all rely on contrived gimmicks for variety, and the mission objectives are poorly conveyed. For instance, after a time-consuming and mind-numbingly tedious series of battles, you’ll discover you need a specific, unarmed unit to carry out a task. But by then you’re out of money and the enemy has destroyed all bridges to your base.
WWIII is missing several standard RTS unit controls. You can’t set routes for ammo supply choppers, so they constantly fly in harm’s way. There’s no option to give standing orders to newly arriving vehicles, and units regularly defy orders.
Ultimately, terrorists nuke the Capitol, and the U.S. responds by sending a faceless hero to lead a dozen commandos for payback in a Chinook helicopter. Needless to say, WWIII is as empty-headed a treatment of modern conflict as you’re likely to find on store shelves.