DESCRIPTION

Following nearly ten years of highly regarded first-person shooter and stealth games, the techno-thriller Tom Clancy franchise deploys its first true battle strategy title. Set in the near future, EndWar puts players in command of high-tech tanks, helicopters, infantry, and other units, in combat across world-capital battlefields such as London, Paris, and Washington, D.C. Although many earlier Tom Clancy games play out in secret organizations and covert missions, the suitably titled EndWar takes place in the open, across the globe, in nothing less than World War III. In the year 2020, nuclear warfare in the Middle East has left Russia with most of the world's available fossil fuel — and cash. The United States' threatens from above, with the strength of its space program, while Europe's technological and diplomatic superiority threaten from within. Each of these three factions is playable against the others in its own 30-plus mission campaign.

Also unlike most previous Tom Clancy games, EndWar is a widely cross-platform release, with different versions available for handhelds, as well as for PC and the contemporary high-def consoles. The Nintendo DS version of EndWar is a turn-based strategy game, designed to be easy to learn but compelling to conquer. "EndWar" has a double meaning, as it also describes the last phase in a battle. When a winning side has captured more than half of the map objectives, the losing side gains access to a WMD — each faction has a different ultimate weapon. Meant to give the losing player a final chance at victory, use of the WMD is not without a big drawback: if the losing side chooses to use its WMD, the winning side then gains access to its WMD as well. In addition to the three factional single-player campaigns, the game's multiplayer options allow head-to-head combat through a local wireless connection, and a built-in editor lets players create, save, and share custom scenarios for one or two players. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide