WarGames (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.1 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Michael Ryan
• Reviewed on: 08/10/1998
• Updated on: 05/02/2000
• Released on: 07/31/1998
• Originally published on GameSpot: WarGames (PC) Review

In 1983, MGM released the movie WarGames and changed my life forever. The film transformed my casual interest in computers into an obsession and actually motivated me to learn programming. So when I heard that MGM Interactive was making a game based on the movie, I was pretty psyched. After a few weeks with WarGames, however, I was pretty disappointed. This game has a nice 3D graphics engine but adds nothing else of substance to the very familiar RTS formula.

The premise of the game is similar to that of the movie. In an attempt to play the latest video game from Protovision (run by David Lightman, Matthew Broderick's character from the movie), you actually kick off a real-world conflict between humanity and the government's WOPR computer. Apparently, the WOPR has evolved sufficiently to develop its own armies and equipment, and it believes that it can eliminate all war by simply eliminating humanity. Problem: None of this information is ever conveyed to the player in the beginning of the game. True, there are a few pages in the manual that explain some of this, but how many of us read the manual before starting a game? The game could really have used a cutscene to set up this chain of events (instead of the useless fake commercial that kicks everything off).

Stepping down off my cutscene soapbox, I will say that WarGames faithfully executes all of the required elements of a Command & Conquer-style RTS game. The game includes 30 missions - 15 if you play as the humans and 15 if you play as the WOPR. In each mission, the first order of business is to build a base and enhance your troop strength. WarGames allows you to keep your constructor unit after he assembles a building (which is a nice touch) and uses a pretty cool airlift sequence to animate the arrival of new vehicles. Also, you can queue production for all of your units and, although money is usually tight, most of the basic units are pretty affordable. The units themselves are well balanced, if somewhat unspectacular.

Money is the game's only resource, and you use the hacker unit to acquire more of it. When you send the hacker into a computer center, he can acquire funds and accomplish a ton of other tasks, including upgrades to your armor and weapons. The voice of the hacker is pretty funny, as are several of the others used throughout the game. The game also uses a familiar and funny message to inform you of incoming e-mail.

There's no denying the game's slick 3D engine, but let's not kid ourselves here: This is no Myth. The two games may both use 3D, but the WarGames engine cannot truly compete with the beautiful technology behind Bungie's stunning visuals. Still, the vehicles in WarGames are detailed and fairly well animated. The terrain is nicely done also, and the rolling 3D landscapes add some depth to the battles. The ground units, on the other hand, are pretty unappealing. The sprites used to illustrate infantry in this game look dated and decidedly out of place against the 3D environment. Not that the troops should all be 3D polygon models, but they could look a bit more realistic - the WOPR drones look like they were yanked right out of Robotron.

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