Rush for Berlin bears a little in common with Storm Region’s previous title, Codename Panzers, in that players aren’t required to build bases, but instead rely on commanding a small unit of troops throughout each series of missions. Of course, this makes the proceedings pretty simple, but it’s better this way as it allows you to skip the tutorial missions, which are pretty much the most boring we’ve experienced in recent years. The actual strategy component of the game feels somewhat limited by the fact that the units aren’t exactly well balanced – send the tanks up to punch through everything (since it’s bloody hard to take them out), and let the troops follow. There are a few units we’ve not seen in World War II strategy games before like the Locust and Skink, but other than that, it’s the usual suspects. You might get to capture a base from time to time to churn out a few more troops, but generally, what you’re provided with at the start of a mission is ample. The cool thing is that on top of the regular veteran unit status that’s become mainstay in strategy games, Rush for Berlin allows you to carry units over between missions, not unlike Cannon Fodder. Since your units gain extra abilities as they become more experienced, it makes you a little more careful in how you command your units.
Two fish are in a tank. One turns to the other and asks "Do you know how to drive this thing?"
There are about 25 missions (and a tutorial) spread over 4 different campaigns. That seems pretty short, but each mission is wedged between two fairly informative cutscenes, and lasts an average of about 25-30 minutes, which is pretty good bang for your buck. The developer has tried to make the missions historically accurate to a point, with the same type of weather conditions and such that the soldiers faced on the battlefield over 60 years ago. None of the missions are anything out of the ordinary, but they’re not outright terrible; you just get the regular 2-3 objectives, secret objectives, bonus objectives and the like, rush the troops in, complete the mission, rinse and repeat. The AI is quite inconsistent, with units under your control seemingly knowing how to do complex stuff like hitting tanks with magnetic mines without copping a shell in the face, while your allies have a tendency to get shot to pieces to the point of aggravation. The enemy AI, on the other hand, can actually be quite devious and occasionally surprise the player. Sometimes it seems like they’re maybe a little too astute, taking out your most veteran troops with relative ease.
Multiplayer consists of your usual straight up deathmatch games, and the typical capture and hold games, but Storm Region has tried to mix things up with two unique modes; RUSH (Relentlessly Utilised Score Hunt) and RISK (Race-Intensive Strategic Kombat). RUSH sets a number of objectives for players to accomplish that will be unique to each player – a nice idea, but it’s a pity that these objectives are just the same old stuff. RISK follows pretty much the same premise, but you will be competing with your opponents to accomplish the same objective, which makes things a little more interesting. Still, there’s a few balance issues to be ironed out (tanks are just too powerful), and there’s not much activity online at this stage, which is kind of disappointing, considering the reaction to the demo. To rub salt into the wound, the full game and demo are not compatible with each other for multiplayer games either.
The Bad Pun Brigade is on patrol, looking for PALGN staff members
One area where Rush for Berlin does stand out a bit is in the visual stakes. Many missions take place on huge maps, but Storm Region has managed to cram in a whole manner of small details into the landmasses. Terrain is very highly detailed – you can see the tyre marks, send your soldiers into the trenches, or watch snow flakes fall on to the battlefield. A large percentage of the environment can be destroyed – trees can be crushed, bunkers rolled over and buildings levelled at your will. Of course, throwing a ton of units onto the screen at the same time is a great way to reduce your beast PC to a snivelling pile of crap, but it looks lovely. Rush for Berlin’s sound isn’t really too inspiring though; the music is forgettable and the voice acting is a bit iffy, and the loud, over the top sound effects are pretty much run-of-the-mill stuff nowadays after a solid decade of World War II efforts.
While Rush for Berlin has a few solid components, the game plays too closely to the book – the developers have not taken any chances in trying to innovate or cover new ground within the real time strategy genre. If you don’t mind playing another real time strategy game that goes by the numbers, then look into it, but we advise keeping an eye out for some of the bigger and badder strategy games that will be making an appearance later this year.
PALGN Disclaimer: Rush for Berlin uses StarForce copyright protection, which has been known to cause problems with PC hardware. We will not be held liable for any damage that occurs as a result of the use of StarForce.
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