Tom Clancy's EndWar (Xbox 360)

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All of these battles are given context within a larger turn-based map called the Theater of War. The offline theater is good for practice, but it's the online theater that provides the meat of the experience. This semiglobal map is persistent, so as opposing players engage one another, the results of an entire day's matches represent a single turn within the theater. Once the day's turn is complete, new battles open up as each faction spreads its dominion. This is a great idea that may remind you of a similar mode in the mech action game Chromehounds. But while the sameness of each faction makes it hard to feel particularly loyal, it's involving to watch your faction's color spread across the map, whether that means establishing your presence in Florida or burning Paris to the ground.

So your battle prowess has global consequences, but success brings more than a victory for your faction. You'll also earn a supply of credits after each battle that you can then spend on upgrades for your units. Surviving units gain levels, which gives them access to purchased enhancements, which could mean faster movement speed, new support powers (being able to designate a new drop point for reinforcements is ever so helpful), or additional attacks that can be triggered with a button when you are following the unit that can perform them. Like the Theater of War, this feature seems like it's supposed to make you feel more emotionally attached to your faction's success, and it works to an extent, giving you an incentive that works on a more personal level. While new attacks open up some minor micromanagement options, they don't bring drastic changes, because most battles are still won or lost with quick uplink securing and basic understanding of rock-beats-scissors dynamics.

But while EndWar's tactics were designed on a broader scale, its presentation throws you into the midst of battle. When firefights get heavy, the screen fills with units and explosions, and nothing beats watching the destruction on the ground from the vantage point of a gunship squad firing at tanks or engineers from above. Even the smaller touches make an impact, such as the authentic-looking behavior of engineer squads as they enter a building or a transport. Upon closer inspection, you can see that explosions don't look all that grand, and you'll find plenty of clipping issues and other minor quibbles. Yet on the whole, EndWar offers a terrific visual impression, thanks to fantastic unit animations and a smooth frame rate. If you're intent on purchasing the best-looking version, better color saturation gives the PlayStation 3 the slight upper hand, though both versions look and perform great.

The sound design does an even better job of immersing you in battle. This is partially due to the din of combat, which is loud and violent, perfectly appropriate for World War III. However, it's the constant radio chatter and responses of your units that have the greatest impact, making you feel as though you really are in the role of a military commander. It isn't just for show, either: EndWar's constant feedback is an important tactical tool, letting you make split-second decisions that could mean life or death for your squad. Unfortunately, there are too many times when crucial feedback ("Check unit nine") comes far too late for it to do any good.

EndWar's unique voice command mechanic makes it wholly unique among strategy games, and it's this innovation that stands out above all of its other features. Strip it away, and you'll find a RTS game that can be fun and satisfying, but is ultimately just a bit too simplistic. But even if strategy veterans won't find all the complexities they'd expect, there's something to be said for EndWar's smart match types and cinematic presentation, which will hopefully keep the game's servers populated for some time to come.

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