Game Info:

Category : Strategy
Publisher : Matrix Games
Developer : Wargaming.net
Release : 10/28/2003
MSRP (US): $39.99
ESRB: Teen

Official Site

Minimum Requirements:

System: 600 MHz or faster
OS: Windows 98/ME/2K/XP
RAM: 256 MB RAM
Video: 32 MB RAM DirectX®/Direct3D compatible video accelerator card
Hard Drive Space: 650 MB
DirectX: DirectX 9.0

Background/Summary:

The Phantom League's strategy was ruthless and treacherous: at first they disclosed only one of their secretly allied countries then invading a neutral neighbor, so that it looks like a small local conflict. Then gradually disclosing new Secret Allies, they were attacking and conquering new territories. Very soon the Free Nations adopted similar 'covert' techniques - they were disclosing their Secret Allies one by one. The Free Nations also had to invade and occupy neutral countries - in order to prevent the usage of their resources by the League. The conflict unrolled like an avalanche, involving more and more countries.

Massive Assault is a 3D war game based on original Secret Allies concept, where two rival sides struggle for global domination in sci-fi environment; That is from the web site of Massive Assault. And like J-Lo, this Massive Ass-ault is full of. . . confusion and doubt. Nice on the outside, not a lot to keep you around.

Gameplay:

Have you ever played BattleTech? No, not Battletech: Solaris for PC or Battletech for NES, Genesis or even the Amiga/PC version. Pen and paper? Those little pewter figurines which you paint for each battle? Well here is your chance to get into that type game and let the computer do the hard part.

See the problem with those old pen and paper games were never the graphics. After all, what could you put on a computer screen better than your imagination? Memory? That only increased and improved the game after it was over. No the hard part was to determine line of sight and elevation modifiers and conversion times before firing. Well with this game, not all of those issues are needed, and the math is always done for you. What this game shares is the physical setup.

Mechanized units are the principal players in this game. They move their assigned amount and then have to turn to fire from the hex the unit is in. Only certain units can fire over frontline units. Ranges vary from un! it to unit. Movement modifiers apply in some cases. Seem confusing and difficult to plan effectively? Don't break off the engagement yet, read on. This game is great for beginners and multiplayer fans with a slow dial up connection and time to kill or a good multitasking mind.

The crucial selling point for the beginner is the ability to completely reverse a turn and a confirmation before the turn is over. The computer allows any player to completely rewind their turn back to the beginning of their turn. Any damage already done is erased and the ammo rounds are returned to the weapon. If you forgot to move a unit, the computer will ask you before your turn is over if you want to use that unit.

The game has a single player element and a multiplayer setup with two game types. The single player missions are not too tough and mostly to train you to play the multiplayer setups. Multiplayer can be played either over the Net or using the same computer. Over the Net is almost like playing chess by mail. Setup the board. See completed setup over the net. Wait for the next move to be emailed to you. An email will come and tell you their move has been completed. And so on and so on. A game this way could take weeks, and unlike pen and paper, that isn't always a great thing. If you have an old modem, downloading a game this way is still quick and easy. If you have a massive multi-tasking mind, you can accept challenges from multiple people and guarantee yourself to have to make a move at every log on.

Graphics/Sound:

This is a major disappointment from the web site details as they show great landscapes and beautifully rendered units. When it comes down to the gameplay itself, suddenly you become God and can only see from overhead and in a resolution of about 600 dpi. The graphics aren't too bad for what they are but they aren't even up to today's par. Somtimes I wondered if I was playing the same game as the web site promised. Even now, I'm not sure I did... Hmmm... Who is Cris Judd again? Oh sorry I was confused again. Oh and the 32 meg requirement for the video card? Strip out the cut scenes and you might run this on an 8 meg card!

The sound is there. The voice over for directions and menu choices is annoying at best but at times is almost unintelligible due to her accent. The rest of the sounds are ambient and effects and at no point are these noticeable or spectacular. Some ability to change the sounds (such as another personality or person for the voice over) would be nice and certainly would have improved the believe in the premise of the story.

Wrap-Up:

This is a good basic game overall. It has a low learning curve, but nothing distinguishes this game in any way. The best aspect of this game is its variety on the multiplayer. The worst is the sound. Most wouldn't encourage people to buy this title, but if you like turn based games from the overhead perspective, pick it up for twenty bucks or less. If not, this is an overall average game which most people can skip. Try an old TBS game like Alpha Centauri or CIV III. You'll learn more, quicker.

Matthew"Nitemare409" Johnson - Apr 2004