Recent reviews by True Orb

Interesting, intense, but less competitive on account of the co-op focus. The main skills that make this game interesting are how to effectively work as part of a team based on your chosen role ("perk"). The game starts out feeling like a typical FPS and has fun gimmicks and diverse weapons, but the most enjoyable matches are where your team beats tremendous odds because everyone knows their role.

Wargame has captured my attention for the last year because of its (gestures towards) realism, depth, intensity, need for creativity, and aesthetics.

There is an excellent inclusion of details that most RTS games neglect: recon units are necessary to spot for less optically-inclined units, vision is based on units on the field, armor values are different on every side, different types of shells and multiple weapons on individual units, etc.

The corollary to all of these mechanics is that there is a lot to learn, and that is what turns many people off, but which I love as someone who likes to research the hell out of things.

Wargame is not a relaxing game: it's like playing timed chess and heads up poker at the same time, with sirens and explosions. When I want to relax I play RPGs or turn-based strategy games, but Wargame requires focus.

There are plenty of dogmas and meta strategies in this game, but it rewards innovation and surprise more than anything. That means that thinking a step ahead of your enemy will do more than just micromanagement skill alone.

All of this combines in a truly beautiful game. It might not look like it at first glance, but the smooth zooming, detailed units that rock and careen around corners, and natural vistas are very pleasant to look at.

Are there flaws? Show me a game without them. The AI and campaigns are poorly thought-out and will actually make you /worse/ at the multiplayer, which is the only enduring gameplay mode; some seemingly simple functionality has not yet been added; helicopters have some serious problems; and the developer cashed in on pay-to-win DLC. But these drawbacks do not in any way interfere with the core advantages of the game.

In summation, this is a very niche game, and it is understandably not for everyone. But you can't deny that it is best-in-class at what it does.