Steam is definitely one of the best clients for getting previews, demos, or free games. Thanks to Steam, R.U.S.E (RUSE) was given out during a free weekend for anyone who wished to download and preview the game.
RUSE is a Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game that is developed by Eugen Systems and is being published by Ubisoft. The game will pit six factions against each other in a game utilizing decoys, ruses, and tricks to trap your enemy. The six factions in the game, as of the preview, are U.S., Germany, U.K., France, Italy, and U.S.S.R. The dates for the battles are between 1939 – 1945.
During game-play, a few of the different options were not available because it is only a preview for the game. The preview did offer multi-player, battles, options, etc. I was able to get enough time in to test the battle scenarios. I was able to pick my enemy and its difficulty, war mode timeline, time limit, map, and the nation I which to battle.
The visuals for the game are well made and quite smooth for the preview. You will start the game far above the battlefield where you can view the entire map. Utilizing your scroll button you can zoom into the map and as you zoom you can see even more details of the map all the way up to street level. I believe this to be very similar to the Total War-esque series of RTS that show you detailed up-close battles.
The sounds for the game are also well-made as you will receive information when certain buildings, vehicles, and infantry is currently built. As all other RTS games you will receive information on the enemy, but instead of a fog of war, you will be able to see only certain enemy positions. The vehicles will be visible only by their movements, but covered still by a slight fog. If you hover your mouse over the vehicle, it will tell you a certain vehicle type (heavy or light), but not the vehicle itself.
The game is good fun, and looks promising. Instead of collecting money from random points, it will be more realistic in the fact that your convoy will have to gain supplies off their respective roads. The fuel/oil you collect will be in random points on the map, and your supply trucks will have to follow these tracks to get to/from these points. The enemy can attack these buildings and set up traps in the woods. Certain vehicles are hidden in forests and provide reconnaissance. It will take a good learning curve to learn the best routes, and proper choke points on the map, but the game provides a good challenge even for veteran RTS fans.
I think this game will be a good buy, but currently the PC game is $50, while both consoles are $60 each. I am hoping Steam will provide the game at a lower cost, but this seems unlikely. Below is a video of in-game.
