Act of War: Direct Action is an upcoming RTS game from Atari that does a few things differently. How differently? Read on to find out

Act of War: Direct Action is yet another modern RTS that'll have you battling against enemy forces with all kinds of tanks and infantry. However, this game is shaping up to be something that will set it apart from all the other mediocore games of this type. Eugen Systems have worked hard on this product and it shows in the crisp production values and gameplay.

Although not set for release until March, Act of War is nearing completion and is looking great. As soon as you start the game you will take note of the impressive presentation. The story is conveyed through well produced news broadcasts and some in-game voice chatter. The story itself is worthy of a Tom Clancy novel, and will likely be filled with plenty of twists, turns, and intrigue.

The graphics in the game are all crisp, and are on par with other entries in the genre. Although infantry has rather low poly counts up close, they look and animate superbly from the normal viewing angle. Buildings and vehicles animate fluidly as well. Cutscenes are a combination of CG and real actors, but they look fantastic.

Sound in the game is excellently produced. Sound effects in particular are spectacular. The sound of hovering helicopters, bombs dropping, and gunfire all sound great. Most importantly, the sound effects serve to enhance the intense action onscreen. Voice acting in the game is good, if not a little cheesy. Overall, you can’t help but be impressed by the sky-high production values.

The gameplay is both familiar and unique. Contrary to most RTS games, there is no resource gathering, per-se. You will have a base from which you can build units and buildings, but you do not send out drones to gather resources. However, you do have one resource: money. One of the best ways to get money is to capture enemy soldiers as POWs after you have defeated them. This game isn't like other games where you send out your soldiers on suicide missions; you neither have the money nor time to constantly replace troops. Thus, there are plenty of ways to preserve your troops for a long time.

This is where one of the more interesting aspects of the gameplay comes into focus. You can do all kinds of defensive maneuvers that are designed to preserve your troops. You can make them take cover in buildings, or maybe hide behind cars. If you have snipers, they can climb on top of buildings for better vantage points. If your soldiers do take damage, you have a helicopter that can heal them just by hovering in the vicinity of them. When you create bomber airplanes, they are not actually units, but rather used for air strikes. If you’re careful, the airplanes you make in the beginning can last you the entire match. However, if you carelessly send off your airplanes to bomb places with heavy enemy resistance, they will be shot down and you will be down a substantial amount of money.

Overall, it seems like Act of War: Direct Action will be one to look out for in the coming months. High production values and original gameplay ideas will likely make this an RTS to remember. If you want to get a sneak peak, check out our download section for the demo. You won’t regret it.