R.U.S.E.
PLATFORMS: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
DEVELOPER: Eugen Systems
PUBLISHER: Ubisoft
RELEASE DATE: September 7, 2010

For fans of real-time strategy games, a new one set in the midst of World War II is waiting for you. The game is called R.U.S.E. and it gives you control as you make the calls while trying to infiltrate the looming German threat.

Now, to be perfectly honest, I’ve never been a fan of the real-time strategy games, personally. Something about them just never did it for me. I much prefer having control of one character, and being able to play their story; to step into their world. With games like this, you have to worry about a lot of different variables while playing from sort of an “eye-in-the-sky” perspective, and though this is something appealing to many, it’s never quite done it for me.

That said, I can still see the appeal in a title like R.U.S.E. for lovers of the genre. This may not be my type of game, but after a few hours of trying very hard to get a feel for this outside of my comfort zone type of gameplay, I can’t deny that I was actually getting into the action.

The first thing that catches your eye is the gameplay set-up. As I said, with these games you usually play from above, looking down on your forces and strategically moving them wherever you feel is best. With R.U.S.E. you find yourself looking down at a war room table, where generals will make their plans using a scale model of the area their troops are set in. But once you select your forces and give them your orders, you can zoom in, going from the war room table right into the real action. This is just a small aspect of the game, for someone like myself who’s not big on these types of games, it was an enjoyable option to be able to move in and out.

As far as gameplay is concerned, you’ll basically be briefed with each mission and what you’re dealing with. You’ll have your infantry, anti-tank, light tanks, medium tanks, and so on. You’ll use these to fight whatever is coming at you. For example, you’ll not want to send a group of infantry off to fight tanks…it will not go well…so you send the best forces you have to take them out. Some situations will become incredibly intense and you’ll be forced to quickly make your moves in hopes of not being wiped out.

As far as the title of the game goes, ruses will be an important part of your campaign. As you move along, many tactical advantages called ruses will become available to you. If you want get the upper hand on what your enemy is up to, you can use one ruse to listen into a chosen section on the map via decryption, which will show you what kind of danger is on the horizon. Other options include decoys, a spy ruse, where someone will infiltrate enemy lines and send back intel, and a radio blackout ruse that prevents the enemy from listening in on your plans.

Another element offered in R.U.S.E. is online multiplayer, where you can join forces with a friend or even compete against them in ranked matches on the battlefield. This game is also fully compatible with the PlayStation Move motion system, if you have it.

Overall, if you’re like me and aren’t a big fan of strategy games like this, you may not be into this. But I think a lot of gamers who take the time to learn the ropes — especially those who love games set in WWII — could find themselves having fun. And as for you real-time strategy connoisseurs, you should absolutely check this game out; it’s a worthy addition to the genre and one you should enjoy playing.

NOTE: If I could play R.U.S.E. on a table such as the one in this video, it might be my favorite game ever! Perhaps it’s not too far off, after all.

Gameplay