[This review is based on the retail copy, World in Conflict: Complete Edition, and not the download- and expansion-only World in Conflict: Soviet Assault.]

The inevitable Soviet expansion for World in Conflict is here with World in Conflict: Complete Edition. Instead of fending off the red menace from America’s heartland, you are the red menace, crushing the bourgeois beneath your mighty proletariate heel. Pushed to the brink of economic collapse, with its resources drying up and people suffering while the West attempts to squeeze out the last breath of defiance, the Soviet Union unleashes a surprise attack on the United States after a back-and-forth struggle in Europe has dragged the world into World War III. As Lieutenant Romanov, you will take charge of men under the command of Polkovnik Orlovsky and contend with the bewildered US military, as well as the irregular forces that are scattered throughout the cities and planes - curse you, Second Amendment!

Fans of World in Conflict won’t be surprised that the Soviets are getting their time to shine. The defense of the US comprised the original campaign, so it is only natural to flip roles for the expansion, but it’s the approach that Massive took with Complete Edition that will certainly surprise. Instead of a simple expansion, Massive went back and tweaked the original campaign by inserting six new missions from the Soviet perspective that play off of First Lieutenant Parker and the US Army’s efforts to repel the invasion.

As a fan of the original, it’s not hard for me to recommend Complete Edition to newcomers. World in Conflict’s approach to warfare is encompassing in a way that few titles can even come close to approaching. Massive doesn’t go for the intimate approach of Relic, the traditional approach of Blizzard, or the stratosphere approach of Gas Powered Games, but an amalgamation of each that emphasis intensity over hard strategy. The game skirts macro and micro play styles that allow for some ground-level action, such as ordering infantry squads to grenade a defender, and an eagle-eye perspective that allows for a full view of the battlefield for proper troop movement, to pick drop locations and to call in reinforcements. What ties it all together is a phenomenal engine that still looks amazing and controls like nothing else, despite going on two years old – Massive has a goldmine with this thing – and a design that switches from tactical to strategic without getting bogged down in between.

The ping-pong approach to combat won’t sit well with everyone. There is no denying that Relic has come a long way in portraying an intense, intimate style of combat that borders on being hyper micro – particularly with Dawn of War II. Bizzard’s style, whether it’s the hero-centric Warcraft III or the highly asymmetrical Starcraft, is also solid, reveling and refining tested mechanics. More importantly, both companies pick a style and stick to it. The biggest jump for World in Conflict is its reliance on heavy artillery and air strikes, to the extent that they aren’t simply a means of combat but an extension of your forces.

Points are earned as enemies are defeated that go towards calling down anything from strips of napalm to massive bombardments, which are used to great effect to beat forces back and to pummel them into submission. As you engage an enemy, armor and infantry take a back seat as the camera zooms back and strikes are called in – at that point, the smaller units switch from being the force of focus to being left on their own; but neither is left neglected for too long, as depleted points and charging then put the heavy strikes on the backburner and the units are then back at the forefront. The game thus switches between being a focused unit-centric affair to one of a big picture, but never so much so that either would be mistaken for a Company of Heroes or Supreme Commander.

A real draw to World in Conflict is simply the spectacle. Instead of feeling as a hero or a leader breaking away from a force, you feel as though you are engulfed in a conflict and simply playing your part – helicopters will fly past your field of view above your troops and artillery strikes will be sending up explosions and debris in your periphery while your batter a fortified business district. Massive knows the explosions look cool and sound great – the game is unreal with surround sound headphones – so they tip their hat, give you a nod, and then unload on you. Production values aren’t vital to a great game, but they can also do a hell of a job in bringing an experience above and beyond.

None of this would matter if the controls weren’t spot on; and they are. Zooming in and out so much, calling reinforcements, using unit-specific features like popping smoke and launching heat reads, fortifying structures, dropping units, and calling in air and ground strikes is a lot to take in, but World in Conflict does it effortlessly. The ensuing chaos will make complete control difficult, but wrestling with the pandemonium is all part of the thrill.

The campaign is better for the inclusion of the Soviet missions, if they are a bit light. Instead of a mirror tale of what is happening with US forces, the Soviets struggle with the military in missions but with interpersonal conflicts in the cutscenes – particularly, how far to go when dealing with a citizen uprising. The bickering officers might seem a little too topical, but nevertheless it’s a problem invading armies have always had to deal with and it’s an interesting, if not typical, side conflict. Despite the game being set in the late 1980s, which Massive pulls off with surprising effect (dated structures, like an old Burger King, vehicles, billboards, etc.), the story never approaches Red Dawn cheese; instead, the Alec Baldwin narration drives home that conflict is nothing but harrowing for all of those involved, and that a soldier’s life continues outside of the conflict, with fear over friends and family due to a breakdown of communication and the high probability that they will meet the business end of a rifle. The Soviet inclusion is similar, though mostly avoiding the ‘Aww, we’re all similar!’ message – though that could just be the residual badassness of the Soviet Spetsnaz tempering things a bit. Despite the humorous touches of the time (‘A CD player!’) and the tone of despair, the campaign doesn’t quite match the excellence of the engine and mechanics; still, it’s worth playing through.

For those who have already completed World in Conflict, it’s a bit harder to recommend Complete Edition. The content isn’t broken out in any way, so aside from a cheat that allows for skipping missions, you will have to play through the original campaign to experience the new missions. The Soviets offer an interesting perspective, but the six story missions and two multiplayer maps aren’t enough to warrant repurchasing, if you already own a copy. If you sold or traded your copy away, then the $29.99 MSRP makes it a bit easier to bite; those who skipped the original should definitely give it a go.

Overall: 8/10

World in Conflict deserved all of the recognition that it received, and it remains a wonderful title. The inclusion of the Soviet missions is nice but isn’t so compelling that the six campaign missions and two multiplayer maps make Complete Edition a definite buy for those who already own World in Conflict. If you skipped over the original release, and don’t mind your strategy titles more bang-bang than cerebral, then I definitely recommend checking out World in Conflict: Complete Edition.