Taking a break from all the FPS action I have been engrossed in, I ventured into the RTS genre with R.U.S.E. I was a little apprehensive when I saw I would be fighting in WWII for the umpteenth time. As a noob to the RTS world, I also thought I would be bogged down by farming for unobtanium and making sure my base was sufficiently powered. R.U.S.E. is the love child of Command and Conquer meets RISK. Let me tell you, it is one kick ass kid.

Forget what you know about RTS games for a minute. This is not nearly as fast and furious as Starcraft, Warcraft, or even C&C. This is a tactical game at its very core. You really need to think before you move in R.U.S.E. because a false maneuver could be a lot of letters getting sent home to families. The core principal of R.U.S.E. is to use a ruse which is a fancy word for “sandbag your opponent into doing something you can pound his ass for”. The ruses that you will use range from hiding troops in trees for a surprise attack, using radio silence for stealth and a few more that you will be pleasantly surprised with. If you use the right ruse at the right time, you will have a positive outcome. Miscalculations and wrong gambits often result in loading a previous save.

The tempo of R.U.S.E. may be too slow for veterans of RTS games. It is not how fast you can spawn vehicles it is where you put them. The game has a boardgame feel to it and the change of pace is great. Moves are highlighted by arrows and friendlies and enemies are well marked. You can zoom in and out of the board for a closer look at the game, but the graphics do suffer from it. The game also can get stale in the beginning if you stick it out. Your resources and ruses are very slim in the beginning missions but will expand as you progress.

R.U.S.E. is a change of pace RTS game that is based in WWII. The game expects you to think before you rush your troops in and will penalize you when you do something dumb and hasty. However, I have to admit, when you lure a group of tanks into a chokepoint and your silently waiting troops spring a surprise attack and your well-placed anti-tank guns dominate unsuspecting enemy armor. There is a profound sense of accomplishment there. If you loved playing RISK growing up and are looking for a tactical challenge, R.U.S.E. should be your next move.

[A copy of the game was provided by the publisher for review purposes.]