Windows

Will of Steel

Most of us play games as a form of escapism, so the settings of Will of Steel might hit too close to home, given the worldwide state of affairs. But if you've ever wanted to see what our overseas troops are facing, this game will get you there virtually.

Even at 6.2 I’m feeling generous here. If the user interface and manuals were more thought-out, had a multiplayer option, and better unit pathfinding skills, it could have been a solid game. It does have its strong points; too bad there were not more of them.

There aren't too many modern era RTS games but we certainly don't need one like Will of Steel. Though there are some good concepts and admirable intentions here, the game just seems unfinished. Performance issues aside, the horrible pathfinding, sticky interface and bizarre line of sight problems all point to a game that was rushed out too early. Gamers intent on playing a modern RTS may persevere in spite of these problems but with Act of War coming out soon, you're better off waiting.

Will of Steel is een ouderwets RTS-spel gecombineerd met een nieuwe voicetechniek. Het eindresultaat is bijzonder pover.

So if you’re going to like this game then you need to have a specific interest in the genre, to the point where you’re willing to sit and learn three pages of voice commands just so that you can sit in front of the computer and sound stupid. Will of Steel fails even to provide a multiplayer option – a crime these days. So you’re going to have to be a hardcore RTS fan with a willingness to learn loads of commands, and who has no friends. There must be a few gamers out there who fit the bill. But how many of them are going to be willing to part with their hard earned cash to do battle with a game done so much better by so many other games? Not me.

Will of Steel is one of the best looking and worst playing real-time strategy games out there. It seems strange that the developers had the skill to harness so much graphical power, yet didn’t have the foresight to smooth out all of the extremely rough edges that plague this game. But alas, great looking crap games are the new fad these days. Even if you’re a die-hard military RTS fan, be very wary when deciding to purchase Will of Steel.

I can't recommend Will of Steel even to the most ardent of RTS fans. It's just not the kind of game that will stand up to the scrutiny of a demanding gamer. Don't give up hope just yet, there may be some patches available or a low-priced expansion pack that will address some of these issues.

Will of Steel lacks any sort of multiplayer component, so once you're through the game's 16 missions, it's the end of gameplay. Those 16 missions won't take you that long (say about 10 hours), even with the lack of a save-game feature. But those 10 hours aren't going to be much fun, as you'll spend a lot of time yelling in frustration at seeing elite troops run around in circles and get stuck on mountains, while multimillion-dollar tanks are chewed up by a single guy with an RPG. Yes, Will of Steel tries, and it shows some heart, but there are simply so many other better real-time strategy games out there. And if you want to play around with modern military equipment, we suggest you try any of them over this.

It's all very well having a game that does away with resource-management, but as a pay-off we'd like greater control of our units rather than less. While the game boasts an impressive array of hardware, you're sadly only allowed to play as the forces of the 'right and just' in a linear two-pronged campaign that starts with the US-led invasion of Afghanistan and finishes in Iraq. No skirmish or multiplayer options are available either, but you do get a headset - which would arguably last longer anyway...

I honestly can't think of one positive thing to say about Will of Steel. Even the setting is offensive, with its callous treatment of present-day American conflicts where real people are fighting and dying. I'd avoid picking up the box for fear of contracting something infectious, to say nothing of actually paying for this abomination.

В общем, давайте пожелаем Will of Steel счастливого пути по канализационной трубе.

Search as we may, we haven’t been able to find one single redeeming feature in Will of Steel. While the graphics aren’t bad and the sound isn’t too shabby, they’re hardly reason to invest in a game so horrifying in quality it only serves to call attention to the decline in the standards of game publishing. This is a clear case of promising great things on the box and delivering little of it in the game, the developer having more ambition than capability and the publisher lacking the spine, good judgement or moral integrity to set things right.

This unmitigated disaster is not only entirely unplayable on most levels, but also has the poor taste to be about real life military conflicts that are still occurring around the world. I was literally struck speechless by the total lack of basic functionality in this execrable piece of software. I always try to find the positives to point out in a game, but in this case I'm simply at a loss. It's totally broken. What were they thinking?