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GC-Germany 2008: Endwar Hands-On

by Chris Holmes August 20th 2008 10:49 AM CDT3 Comments

Tom Clancy's Endwar (voice controlled RTS from Ubisoft) is playable on the show floor at the Leipzig Games Convention this year, and I got my hands and voice all over it to see how it's shaping up before it's mid-October release. Following a very successful Xbox Live Beta last month, the game is really starting to come together, with a campaign mode that is integrated with it's online features, creating a MMORTS-esque based effect. In this mode, you chose a faction and fight for them across the world in various battles with other human players.

I played both 1v1 and 2v2 conflicts across airfields and other such key structures in each region, and was pleasantly surprised. The voice recognition system actually works most of the time, allowing me to order my groups of infantry, tanks, helicopters, etc. to wherever I needed them to go. However, it didn't like some of my cockney pronunciation, with the game persistently insisting I said "ten" when I actually said "two".

Regardless, I found that I could control it normally like any other RTS on the 360, with the right stick controlling the camera, the left stick moving the cursor, the A button selecting units, and everything else having a logical effect on the game. If Ubisoft Shanghai can iron out the voice pitfalls, get the Xbox Live features just right and perhaps release a demo for unconvinced punters, they'll have a good hit on their hands.