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	Massive Assault
	Developer: Wargaming.net Publisher: Matrix Games / Try Synergy Genre: Turn-Based Strategy Players: 1-2 Similar To: N/A Rating: Teen Published: 02 :09 : 04 Reviewed By: Ryan Newman Overall: 8.5 = Excellent

Screenshots

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Intro
It's been a rough time for Wargaming.net's Earth. Following one of the longest chronological storylines of any game, Massive Assault tells the tale of mankind going through numerous world wars, times of peace, and then making their way out to the stars so they may live better lives; the time from the beginning of the initial conflict to the present has been hundreds of years. With peace seemingly at hand, the Phantom League, an unsavory group wishing to install a dictatorship over all free peoples, plays their hand and begins attacking the colonized worlds through the use of secret allies. To combat them, the Free Nations Union began refining the tactic of using secret allies to overwhelm surprised enemy forces as well. However, some colonies wished to remain neutral, and they will play key roles in the wars to come. At times a little too puzzle-centric, Massive Assault manages to remain an outstanding game that is one of the most enjoyable releases that the genre has seen in a long time.


Gameplay: 9/10
Massive Assault reminds me of Kohan: Immortal Sovereign and Myth: The Fallen Lords. Here, in one of the most established genres, a small title from a little-known developer comes out with little fanfare and completely rules.

Chess has long been related to strategy games over the years, but that description proves a solid foundation for explaining Massive Assault's initial experience. Both sides, the Phantom League and Free Nations Union, have the exact same units that have the same attributes and cost. Now that I've abused the chess analogy, let me explain why the similarities end there.

Massive Assault is played out in a handful of modes: Training, Scenarios, World War, and Campaign. The training mode is self-explanatory, but the rest need to be expounded upon. The scenarios act as a bridge between training and the rest of the modes, because here the player takes on levels of gradually increasing difficulty and, although they can only play as the Free Nations Union, much of what can be learned about the game's unique system is learned here. While the eager might want to jump right into the larger conflicts, going through the scenarios is highly recommended. The world war features conflicts for entire planets, with the player having the ability to control either side. The six planets' various environments are important for unit efficiency, and that factor is continuously important in all modes. The campaign portion, which can be played out by either side, links a set of missions by a story. The storyline reveals the differences between the two on both the political and spiritual side, complete with grandiose dialogue that outlines political ideology - it isn't pretentious, and is more along the lines of pumping up one's own people for a bitter conflict, and it's a nice little touch. As it stands now, though, there are three Free Union Nations and one set for the Phantom League, with it not being possible to change sides as you can in the scenarios. Multiplayer is also an aspect I actually enjoyed. So far, it simply works as someone challenging the player and they either accept or deny it - there are even mentor games to help new folk. So far there isn't a chat menu, which is fine by me, but I've been told this section will be beefed up as patches come out. With a robust single player and an enjoyable multiplayer, Wargaming.net covered their grounds well.

So, now on to why a game with exactly the same units can be so unique. The game's main focus is on allies. They are important in the story and play an equally important role in winning the game. Each turn is broken up as follows: disclosing allies (in World War games), guerilla movement (if someone invades the player's territory or vice versa), movement and combat, and recruitment. When disclosing an ally, both sides must disclose two at the beginning of the fight, and one for each round afterwards, until all sides are declared - this is for world war and multiplayer. Not showing the enemy one's friends is a risky and big part of the world wars; also important in just about every mode are the true neutral countries. To gain control of a territory, one must take the capital; this is normally done after all the enemies in the section - the maps are broken up into countries that have well-defined borders - have been destroyed. Taking a country means not only taking their revenue in future rounds, but also having them serve as a new place for the player's troops to move through and be recruited from. Making things tricky are guerilla forces. Any time an army invades another country, that country immediately raises a guerilla army that is as large as the country's economic standing (there are low, medium, and high countries). Since all sides can create these forces, it makes taking a tempting neutral country tricky as even a small contingent of defenders can really hurt a large war effort. However, since a taken capital pays indemnity fees, a set amount of cash that is transferred when disclosed as an ally or when an enemy takes them over (only paid once on each count), the bulk of cash and future potential for the land might be too good to pass up.

When fighting toe-to-toe with the enemy, all options must be considered. But one of the more hotly contested actions is preventing an enemy from going over the border; once an enemy is over the border, the guerilla army will be raised (only happens once), but it also prevents future revenue and recruitment from that area until all forces have been wiped out. It isn't out of place to see both sides risk huge losses in the hopes of getting a single unit over the border so they can file in the rest of their units; this small feature creates some of the tensest engagements more than anything else. Not all moves are wise moves, though. Maybe invading a country seemed appropriate, but upon reflection, the troops shouldn't have been sent across the border just yet. Thankfully, there is a rewind function that can take back entire move-sets until the player is satisfied with what they want; players can also alter individual unit's moves by having the ability to redirect their fire or move them to a new location. This little feature is a small blessing, because Massive Assault isn't the easiest game in the world, and that feature helps tremendously. The screenshots may look confusing, with units' attack radiuses in green circles, white lines indicate where they shot, and small circles on the ground indicate where movement is possible (green is standard, yellow means rough terrain, red means slow movement, and white means the path is on a road and gives the ability to move greater distances quicker), but all are helpful indicators that assist in the player making the best decision possible so they don't have utilize the rewind function.

After taking a capital, the player then has the ability to recruit units from that country. Since each side has identical units, training the approach units at the right time is crucial. If an enemy just trained an expensive but slow unit, the player may want to invest in a few quick vehicles so they can quickly speed into enemy territory before their new behemoth can bring them into its attack radius. Balancing units out is very tricky, but the vehicles are all worthwhile and fun to use. While there are no infantry, there are air and naval units; bombers can be transported from capital to capital and onto aircraft carriers, while destroyers defend the carriers and battleships while amphibious vehicles can assault a soft point on land and the battleships bombard to soften coastal defenses for their arrival. The units work well together, and trying to best one with the same armaments can be a thrill.

There are a few things I would like to see tweaked, though. All rounds can be saved as replays, and although there are ways to slow down and speed up the moves (which works during the portions when watching the opponent's moves as well, but with the addition of a skip function), a long match means waiting a while to see the end, so a slider would've been a welcomed feature. The missions can also take on a puzzle feeling to them as well, as there is often a way that the map is supposed to be played out, and those who want to be ingenious will face defeat. While that may not be the actual case, it does feel like that so it makes the game feel limited in some regards. I would've also liked terrain to have played a larger role, but I found it to be a very minute factor. Also, on larger maps, it can take a while for the computer to make up its mind, so be prepared to wait.

While one might think the exact units will limit the replay value, it didn't really; it may limit some gamers' interest in it, but I found the unique approach of focusing on taking and holding countries to be the kind of interesting twist that really fleshed out the system. Massive Assault is a new take on refined systems and it really works: it's a blast to play and is getting healthy content updates from Wargaming.net. If it's any indication, I've stopped writing this review about 4 times to go and play a few rounds.

Graphics: 9/10
Each of the six planets has its own look and feel. From Noble Rust, where everything has a red tint, to the lush New Paradise where the terrain has rich color, the environments look good, even if they're not extremely detailed. From above, the vehicles look decent, but up close they display really solid designs. Effects from explosions look good, with great lighting, but some deformable terrain would've made the battles feel more visceral. For a game from a smaller company, I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with the quality here, as it is solid all around.

Sound: 8/10
The music is good, although I would've liked it to be a little more dramatic. It goes well with the action and general pace of the game, though. The sound effects are effective, with lasers and cannons sounding appropriate and explosions feeling satisfying. There is very little vocal work, as it mainly comes in some objectives and when there is a victory or defeat - it's very minor, although I'm a big fan of vocals and would've liked to see it have a more prominent role.

Control: 10/10
The game's system and pace is extremely easy to grasp after a few rounds and its streamlined process really does a great job in keeping things simple. Everything from recruitment to troop placement is easy, as is basic navigation and combat. The ability to fast-forward, slow down, or skip others' movements is a great advantage, as is the ability to rewind and undo the player's own moves. Menu navigation is a snap, as well as participating in online games. I really can't think of anything fundamental I would've changed. The previously mentioned slider would've been nice, but it certainly didn't bring down the experience any.

Overall: 8.5/10
As Kohan's unique economic system made a good game great, so does Massive Assault's take on allies and territories. The timing of when to let an enemy invade to unleash a guerrilla force or when to hold off invading until a foothold is established in the enemy's territory all play key parts in a much larger strategy that will be hotly contested by a competent AI. The AI also lends some in the game feeling a little too confining; the feeling of true freedom to try anything isn't there. Still, it is incredibly addictive, features great production values, and seems to have strong support from the developers. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking for an enjoyable, challenging strategy experience.

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