Moscow to Berlin: Red Siege
Posted August 8, 2006
There is no shortage of war based, real-time strategy games for the PC, so Cinemaware already has to face a glutton of competition with their release of Moscow to Berlin: Red Siege. The game highlights the main battles between the Germans and the Soviets in World War II and allows for play on both sides. Just as the timeline suggests, the gamer first plays as the Germans and shifts to the Russian side when the tide of the war turns. This confusing presentation doesn't allow for a particular allegiance to a side, but divides the action into two parties. By creating such a division, the single player game loses meaning and seems more like a random grouping of levels than a story to be told. 
Gameplay:
The single player campaign is comprised of 20 missions, most which can be completed in a short period of time. The objectives are painfully straightforward and usually require just the troops allotted to your squad from the outset of the level. Reinforcements will arrive on a pre-allotted timetable, but you cannot order them up. Most of your time will be taken up by troop/unit placement and directing areas of fire.
The units at your disposal range from groups of soldiers, troop carriers, mounted 88 guns, and light / heavy armored tanks. The troops are of different variety, but don't get much usage due to the tank-filled battlefields. Troops can come in handy when needing to blow up an enemy tank or mounted gun, but they are rarely needed otherwise. For the majority of the time, tanks are used to destroy bunkers, houses, encampments, and other stationary targets fairly easily. Deploying the mounted or roving guns against the enemy tanks seems to be the fastest path to destruction of the enemy as well.
Sadly, the A.I. of the game is the main detractor to the single player campaign mode. The enemy A.I. is stupidly content to stand around and wait for the battle to come to them. Even if you order a lone tank deep into enemy territory, they simply won't pursue you. Also, the enemies seem to be able to hone in on your position almost instantaneously. Moving your weakening tank around doesn't make it harder to hit either. Essentially, it's just a race to get more units in position to fire than the enemy has.
Unfortunately, placing the support A.I. in the right position is an exercise in futility. For instance, ordering several tanks across a river via a nearby bridge can only be described as watching cockroaches scatter when the lights are turned on. The A.I. takes odd paths to the same location, usually getting killed in the process. The only way to properly order a group of units to a specific location is to send them one at a time. This pathetic programming leads to massive frustration in the latter stages of the game.
After searching for multiplayer battles over three days, I finally found someone else with the game. The short skirmish battle I undertook suffered from the same support A.I. problems, but at least the enemy was mobile. The battle was entertaining, but a minor amount of lag detracted from the experience. The multiplayer mode isn't substandard by any means, but finding an opponent can be highly frustrating and often fruitless.
Graphics:
Visually, the graphics engine is definitely dated, but polished. The building artwork is perhaps the most eye-popping feature of the backgrounds, especially when demolished. The textures are muddy when zooming in close, but they appear fairly sharp at the default view. The visual effects such as fiery explosions or billowy smoke are well produced and accurate to their surroundings.
Also, the frame rate stays pretty rock solid throughout the entire campaign. Those with older systems shouldn't have a problem pulling off the graphics at a decent resolution. That being said, gamers with larger resolution displays are likely to notice the graphical flaws more clearly due to the nature of the dated engine.
Audio:
Surprisingly, the auditory qualities of Red Siege are excellent. During each campaign briefing, the accented voices highlight the important aspects of the mission in an authentic manner. During the missions and in the menu, the military based soundtrack is rousing and adds quite a bit to the overall experience. The sound effects aren't of the highest quality, but they suffice for the light usage during the single player campaign. Additionally, PC gamers with 5.1 sound systems will enjoy the background war noise during play.
Conclusion:
Compared to any other RTS game on the market, Moscow to Berlin: Red Siege mainly suffers from its own simplicity. The game contains too few RTS elements and seems more like a shooter that you have little control over. Add in the idiotic enemy / support A.I. and you have a real stinker of a single player experience. Also, the multiplayer doesn't add a bit of replay value due to the lack of available players.
While Red Siege does have some positive ancillary elements going for it, it's more of a chore to play than an exciting experience that envelops the gamer in WWII battles. This title isn't worth MSRP and should be avoided at all costs. Go pick up the recently released Rush for Berlin if you are looking for a solid WWII real-time strategy game.
Gameplay:
The single player campaign is comprised of 20 missions, most which can be completed in a short period of time. The objectives are painfully straightforward and usually require just the troops allotted to your squad from the outset of the level. Reinforcements will arrive on a pre-allotted timetable, but you cannot order them up. Most of your time will be taken up by troop/unit placement and directing areas of fire.
The units at your disposal range from groups of soldiers, troop carriers, mounted 88 guns, and light / heavy armored tanks. The troops are of different variety, but don't get much usage due to the tank-filled battlefields. Troops can come in handy when needing to blow up an enemy tank or mounted gun, but they are rarely needed otherwise. For the majority of the time, tanks are used to destroy bunkers, houses, encampments, and other stationary targets fairly easily. Deploying the mounted or roving guns against the enemy tanks seems to be the fastest path to destruction of the enemy as well.
Sadly, the A.I. of the game is the main detractor to the single player campaign mode. The enemy A.I. is stupidly content to stand around and wait for the battle to come to them. Even if you order a lone tank deep into enemy territory, they simply won't pursue you. Also, the enemies seem to be able to hone in on your position almost instantaneously. Moving your weakening tank around doesn't make it harder to hit either. Essentially, it's just a race to get more units in position to fire than the enemy has.
Unfortunately, placing the support A.I. in the right position is an exercise in futility. For instance, ordering several tanks across a river via a nearby bridge can only be described as watching cockroaches scatter when the lights are turned on. The A.I. takes odd paths to the same location, usually getting killed in the process. The only way to properly order a group of units to a specific location is to send them one at a time. This pathetic programming leads to massive frustration in the latter stages of the game.
After searching for multiplayer battles over three days, I finally found someone else with the game. The short skirmish battle I undertook suffered from the same support A.I. problems, but at least the enemy was mobile. The battle was entertaining, but a minor amount of lag detracted from the experience. The multiplayer mode isn't substandard by any means, but finding an opponent can be highly frustrating and often fruitless.
Graphics:
Visually, the graphics engine is definitely dated, but polished. The building artwork is perhaps the most eye-popping feature of the backgrounds, especially when demolished. The textures are muddy when zooming in close, but they appear fairly sharp at the default view. The visual effects such as fiery explosions or billowy smoke are well produced and accurate to their surroundings.
Also, the frame rate stays pretty rock solid throughout the entire campaign. Those with older systems shouldn't have a problem pulling off the graphics at a decent resolution. That being said, gamers with larger resolution displays are likely to notice the graphical flaws more clearly due to the nature of the dated engine.
Audio:
Surprisingly, the auditory qualities of Red Siege are excellent. During each campaign briefing, the accented voices highlight the important aspects of the mission in an authentic manner. During the missions and in the menu, the military based soundtrack is rousing and adds quite a bit to the overall experience. The sound effects aren't of the highest quality, but they suffice for the light usage during the single player campaign. Additionally, PC gamers with 5.1 sound systems will enjoy the background war noise during play.
Conclusion:
Compared to any other RTS game on the market, Moscow to Berlin: Red Siege mainly suffers from its own simplicity. The game contains too few RTS elements and seems more like a shooter that you have little control over. Add in the idiotic enemy / support A.I. and you have a real stinker of a single player experience. Also, the multiplayer doesn't add a bit of replay value due to the lack of available players.
While Red Siege does have some positive ancillary elements going for it, it's more of a chore to play than an exciting experience that envelops the gamer in WWII battles. This title isn't worth MSRP and should be avoided at all costs. Go pick up the recently released Rush for Berlin if you are looking for a solid WWII real-time strategy game.