World in Conflict: Soviet Assault

Price £15 Publisher Ubisoft Developer Massive Entertainment
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Say dos vedanya to your foes once again

We’re not entirely sure it classes as madness, but it still can’t be healthy to stare lovingly at a nuclear explosion and coo with delight.

Yet even a year on from its original release, World in Conflict remains our prime purveyor of fiery death clouds, because it makes breathtaking beauty out of genocide. Fortunately, it’s also one of the best real-time strategy games in recent years, but one that didn’t attract the audience it deserved. With that in mind, Soviet Assault isn’t so much an expansion pack as it is an attempt to relaunch the game.

There are two ways to nab Soviet Assault – either as a download for owners of the original game, or as part of a new World in Conflict: Complete Edition retail pack. Unfortunately, the formerly mentioned loyalists get significantly less from the deal. That’s odd, though, given that the lynchpin of Soviet Assault’s new content is a singleplayer campaign, telling the story of an alternate Cold War from the side of the titular Russians.

Like the original WiC’s campaign, the production values and writing are among the genre’s finest, but the meagre six missions are workmanlike tasters of the game’s multiplayer meat. Unfortunately, they’re also dotted between the original missions. This makes for a big, beefy experience if you’re brand new to the game – the dual-perspective making it like The Wire with more tanks – but a whole lot of repetition if you’re an old hand.

Sweetening the deal, however, are two new multiplayer maps. Multiplayer is where WiC comes into its own, allocating each player a role – armour, infantry, air or support – that enables everyone to get really hands-on, rather than piddling about with micro-management. Played as a team game, it’s an RTS fans’ dream – instantly responsive and explosive all-out warfare. The new maps don’t alter the formula at all and, fortunately for WiC owners, they’re also free to download.

So, veterans should view buying the expansion as crazy completionist’s fare only, but for newcomers it makes a great RTS even better. The score at the bottom, then, refers to the Complete pack, which is a steal at £15. You’ll weep with manly joy at all those sumptuous mushroom clouds.
Alec Meer

PCF 90%

+ Geniunely fresh
+ Amazingly accessible
+ Gorgeous explosions
- Little new for hardened vets

The expansion alone isn't worth it for WiC vets, but the Complete Edition is a great way to introduce newbies to this RTS masterpiece

Needs 2GHz CPU, 512MB RAM, 128MB 3D card
Wants Dual-core CPU, 1GB RAM, 256MB 3D card