Rush for Berlin: Next Stop, Berlin... Company: Paradox Developed by the team behind Codename: Panzers, Rush for Berlin is a WWII-based RTS that takes place towards the end of the war when the Allies and Russia were on the march to the heart of Germany, Berlin. The single-player mode presents the campaign from the perspective of the Allies, French, Russians or Germans. One of the elements that makes Rush for Berlin’s campaign mode different from other WWII RTS games (or most WWII games in general) is that it allows you to play through a series of “What if…?” scenarios, offering a different perspective on what really happened and why. These scenarios are especially prevalent in the German campaign. Rather than place you in the similar situation of trying to hold together your forces while the Allies and Russians roll over you, the German campaign presents scenarios such as “What if Germany’s prototype weapons had been developed and used in the war?” While it may not appeal to purists, it does make for interesting gameplay. As far as gameplay, Rush for Berlin is a bit different from other RTS games. You are given a number of units, including infantry and tanks. In addition, you have a set of officers who act as “hero” classes who can be assigned to tanks. After being assigned an officer, tanks gain stat increases based on who is in command of it. Officers also have special skills such as morale boosts for troops or the ability to call in paratroopers. It may not be the more revolutionary of concepts, though like the “What if…?” story arc, it adds something extra to the game. Another of Rush for Berlin’s unique gameplay aspects is that it presents a much quicker pace, while at the same time offering a nice amount of depth and complexity. Resources are generated at a set rate depending on which side you are playing as, giving you more time to think about how you’ll tackle your current mission. When building units, you’ll also have to consider how much time it takes to build that unit and factor that into how much time you have to complete your current objective. Completing goals is a little different than grouping a bunch of tanks together and rolling over opposition. Instead, Rush for Berlin requires you to combine a variety of units together in one fighting group to help balance out each unit’s weaknesses. How you go about using units also plays heavily into gameplay as you’ll have to work with your surroundings to set up ambushes or get the jump on enemies. Not only can you use units with a better sight range to help plan, but you can also use sound (which is indicated by an icon) to help determine what is on the way. Rush for Berlin is shaping up to be a must-play WWII game, at least for players looking for a good, deep strategy experience. -Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker Related Links: Rush for Berlin -- Official Site Paradox