EndWar is a (RTS) game - that’s “real time strategy”. this was the first RTS I really played & I have to say I really liked it. It plays a bit like the Command & Conquer games in that you have a top down view of the battle field, from there you have command of your troops & vehicles etc. from the start I didn’t like the idea of trying a RTS game I thought it would drag on slowly & there would be no real feel to the game - but what really made me buy this game was the story & what was possible. Set in the year 2016 the game follows what happens after a nuclear attack hits Saudi Arabia , over 20 million people are wiped out & the worlds oil supply is under threat. Soon after the USA & the EU sign a treaty which enables both nations to work together on a state of the art ballistic missiles system. As new programs & satellite systems are worked on & tested both nations announce the end of strategic nuclear war but as the price of oil rises things start to spiral out of control. Ireland & the UK refuse to join & instead merge to create a new commonwealth. Russia ultimately controls the flow of the worlds so they raise the prices drastically opting to spend the profits on creating & modernizing their own missile programs/armed forces/space race capabilities. Space militarization reaches its highest in the year 2018, 2020 sees the launch of a new space station “the freedom star” which is used for not only civilian research purposes but to launch a powerful military response anywhere on the planet.
March 23rd 2020 sees the attack on European uplink sites in Croatia by an unknown terrorist group. Then again on April 4th 2020 the same terrorist group attack Kennedy space station followed by another attack at a petrol plant in Holland. The group identifies itself as “the forgotten army” & are comprised of failed states such as South America/the Balkans/Africa - after yet another attack this time to a Russian power plant near Minsk evidence is found that the European defence minister secretly funded the terrorist group. Russia retaliates by uploading a powerful virus into the EU military defence system causing it to shoot down the American space station “freedom star” - causing a war between the EU & the USA - Russia then invades part of Poland saying they are aiding the USA, but the USA sees it as an attempt to try & put the old eastern block territories back under Russian control & so attack Russia - world war III begins.
Because the story is so complex between the EU/USA/Russia the game allows you to play as either one of the factions, the EU faction is known as “the European federation enforcer corps/the USA known as the United states joint task force/Russia’s faction is the Russian spetsnaz guards brigade. Each faction has different abilities & specializations that can be upgraded as the game progresses. Russia for example specializes in heavy armour & weaponry while the USA are faster & more precise. Its because of the ability to play as each faction that the game really shines, this also helps create a much longer lifespan to your overall gaming experience. Command points are awarded & can be used on the battlefield to call in reinforcements/extra units/mission supports, the more uplinks your faction seizes control of the more command points they are award - command points are also awarded for overall strategic manoeuvring & your ability to make decisions. Weapons of mass destruction “wmds” can be used when the defcon level is raised, these result in crushing blows to your enemy whether they be long range missiles or short burst electromagnetic pulses “emp used to shut down the enemies electronics” - be careful using such weapons as they can also destroy your own troops if they are in range. Units available in the game include riflemen/engineers/command vehicles/transports/tanks/gunships & artillery, all can be upgraded in the barracks between games. Because the game plays in a rock-paper-scissors kind of way you need to learn what unit is best effective against hostile units, for example I was trying to take out a convoy of transports & I had over 9 helicopters attacking at once, the damage caused to the transports was minor while every helicopter was near destroyed, its because of this that you really have to think before you react.
EndWar really has so much going for it that its tough to sum it all up. Key features include advanced optional voice command “play the game by issuing commands through a headset” - sitrep “used through your command vehicle to monitor the map & issue commands to your unit” - downloadable content “packs of maps & upgrades are available on the play station network & on xbox live” - locations/countries “there really are so many! usa,moscow,paris,ireland,uk,europe & more all are highly detailed & atmospheric” - on top of all that there is a huge online persistent multiplayer campaign that allows hundreds of people to join in on the action, & the action is fierce with territories being fought over constantly.” 
Overall I was really surprised by this game, I only got it to see how RTS games play out & its really impressed me in every way possible. The story is taken from a Tom Clancy novel of the same name & I like how the story is not completely far fetched, WWIII occurring because of an oil crisis? Its possible. The units available & vehicles are modelled after actual units & I really prefer this to some alien race & its crafts like in a past Command & Conquer game. I liked that the game allowed for combat in over 40 real locations & that definitely made it feel more realistic that any other game of its kind. The controls were easy enough to get a grip with & once I learned the basics the real game began. Some of the menu options were a little misleading & awkward for example trying to change maps in the single player skirmish mode I had to look that up online. The game uses about 5 gigabytes on the PS3 & a lot of people might see that as a problem but other than that I cant see anything wrong with the game. EndWar might not be everyone’s cup of tea & I didn’t even think I would enjoy it but I did & I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to try a RTS style game.