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Massive Assault

	Author: Jim Zabek Article Type: PC Game Preview Publication Date: 6/12/2003 Developer: Wargaming.net Publisher: GMX Media Related Categories: Science Fiction, Turn-based, Armor Combat, Strategic

A Tanker's Dream

The units consist almost entirely of armored vehicles. There are a few units which aren't strictly armored vehicles: a defensive tower, amphibious and land transports, and also an air unit, but the majority consist of light and heavy armor or mobile artillery, with corresponding tradeoffs between mobility, firepower and survivability. Ground-pounders may be disappointed to learn that there isn't a foot soldier to be found, but I never missed them. The units appear to be well balanced and sometimes it's a difficult decision trying to decide which ones to purchase because they can all be useful.

It may be a bit boxy, but the Rocket Launcher is one of my favorite units.	The Rocket Launcher in action.

Units are purchased with income generated from the territories a player holds, which are referred to as countries. Some countries generate more income than others, and in an interesting twist, they only yield revenue for a limited number of turns. In larger games the player and his opponent have a fixed number of "allies" which are initially undisclosed to his opponent. As the game progresses, the player has the option at the start of each turn to disclose some or all of the countries under his control. Disclosure of an ally allows the player to purchase units in that country and place them on the map. Part of the strategic challenge of Massive Assault is to determine when to disclose an ally; one of the twists of this component is that when a player invades a country it can field a small guerilla force. If the player happens to invade an undisclosed ally, the opponent has the option to disclose his ally and field not only a guerilla force, but also the full force of his ally, with all of the Ally's income at his disposal. The depth of decision making isn't particularly deep when compared to some strategy games, but it is crafted well enough to make Massive Assault a subtly complex game that is a blast to play.

I employed a pincer movement using amphibious transports to take this island.	One unit left to go...

Play Two Games and Call Me in the Morning

Massive Assault's lightweight approach to strategy may not appeal to the Hearts of Iron crowd, but for those seeking an "easy to learn, difficult to master" turn-based game it may be just what the doctor ordered. Again, it was only a beta version, but I found Massive Assault to have a lot of great things going for it. And while that can always change before the final release, if Wargaming.net stays on track Massive Assault looks like it has all the necessary ingredients to please fans of the turn-based strategy genre.

Squashing a Light Tank with a Heavy Bot.	Victory!

System Requirements

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All screenshots captured exclusively with HyperSnap-DX by Hyperionics.