Recreation Uses Strategy Effectively- R.U.S.E. Review

For two generations, developers have desperately tried to entice console gamers with the RTS genre. Two factors are widely attributed to the lukewarm response by players: the difficulty of adapting a robust mouse and keyboard control scheme to a controller intended for action titles, and the belief that most video gamers have an aversion to complexity. Recent Ubisoft release R.U.S.E. moderately succeeds in refuting both opinions. By eradicating many real-time strategy axioms- from a reliance on micromanagement to encouraging massive unit surges, the title is well-suited for consoles. But beyond these changes, R.U.S.E. does little to court mainstream appeal; expect the game to have a fervent, yet niche following.

Those troubled by the homogeneity of the RTS will enjoy R.U.S.E.‘s exclusions. Gone is a landscape-obscuring ‘fog of war’. Rationally, the game assumes players have a map of the terrain and the capacity for rudimentary reconnaissance. Units which haven’t been positively identified by  players are shown as board game-like markers, with a diameter to reflect the magnitude of the threat. With only one resource to extract, a relatively diminutive tech-tree, and briskly-built structures, R.U.S.E. is able to focus on delivering a battlefield occupied with combat on multiple fronts.

With simultaneous skirmishes occurring in R.U.S.E.’s theater of war, a potent, yet intuitive control  is essential. Fortunately, the title goes an admirable job, given the constraints of the Xbox 360 controller. Players use the two analog sticks to shift, rotate and zoom in on the game’s arena. Skillfully, the game’s compulsory settings balance the ability to whip around the playfield without sacrificing accuracy. A simple press of the “A” button selects the unit underneath the cursor, while a second press designates a move-to location or target. Tactics in R.U.S.E. concentrate on the Rochambeau mechanic of fighters, talk, artillery, and ground troops, as well at the range of each unit. The former is indicated on each page on the production menu, while the latter is shown with a convenient blue outline whenever a unit is selected. At first, it can be a bit overwhelming, especially when it may seem that individual units aren’t obeying your commands. However, once the players adjust to the title’s cadence, they feel secure in knowing each anti-air battery and tank will unhurriedly shift into position, and usually do its best to strike out at attacking foes. For some reason, the AI displays passivity to nearby foes whose unit type has all but been determined. I’ve watched several times as a distinctively small marker of a band of grenadiers approached my Shermans with malicious intent.

To offset these sporadic moments of incompetence, R.U.S.E. offers players a diverse set of decoys, techniques, and intelligence gathering aids. By selecting a ruse card and of effect area, gamers have the ability to launch decoy assaults, conceal unit or structures, and even deliberately invert intel- making tanks appear as infantry units. Although the abilities will be squandered during the first few hours on play, players will learn to conceal soldiers within cities or deep forests or cloak their production facilities-bound bombers.

While the game’s customizable skirmishes and online multiplayer tussles are gratifying, the same isn’t entirely true of the game’s single player campaign. Marred by a tutorial which is prolonged far too long, and a decidedly aloof protagonist, R.U.S.E.‘s cutscenes are often overly dramatic, and rely on WWII cliché. By the time the single-player is completed, players will be well-versed with the repertoire of ruses; it’s unfortunate the developers didn’t offer allow for a few more story-driven maneuvers which permits the game’s full feature set. Visually, R.U.S.E. maintains a fluid framerate and level of responsiveness by limiting the amount of polygons in each model. Typically, players won’t notice the graphical economy when they have a panoramic view of the battleground.

Unlike many console titles, satisfaction isn’t immediate in R.U.S.E. Despite the removal of a handful of RTS platitudes, several new nuances await mastery. While the title may not garner mass-market appeal, I do expect a constituency of tacticians to embrace the game; like any superior stratagem, expect elements of R.U.S.E. to be scrutinized and even reproduced, by rivals.

About Robert Allen

Since being a toddler, Robert Allen has been immersed in video games, anime, and tokusatsu. Currently, his days are spent teaching at two southern California colleges. But his evenings and weekends are filled with STGs, RPGs, and action titles and well at writing for Tech-Gaming since 2007.

32 comments

  1. thats not what RUSE stands for is it?

  2. i’m curious if you played this with the move? If so, it it worth getting the PS3 version for?

  3. I tried out the STEAM demo when it was free, and couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on. Maybe RTS aren’t my thing.

  4. I still haven’t bought SC2. I think thats the RTS to get right now.

  5. Wasn’t there a demo of this. I guess I need to go back and download it.

    So this isn’t a Tom Clancy game at all?

  6. I’m actually surprised this came out so well. Usually tech demos never become enjoyable. Still I’d love to play this on a giant touchscreen.

  7. It’s pretty sure it’s made up.

    One of the things I like about the last C&C games were the sub commanders. Does this game have anything like that?

  8. Whats a “RUSE?

  9. pretty good review. I’m sure when this goes cheap on Amazon, I’ll plan my strategy to get this.

  10. only fools buy a console RTS at full price. Each and everyone has dropped hard and dropped fast. Even Halo reach is being sold for $10 everywhere.

  11. How the replay on this? Can I RE-USE the game? HAHAHAHA

  12. Better or worse than Endwar? I liked the idea of voice control for that one.

  13. Good review, Deagle. I’m just curious whats your favorite RTS?

  14. Ive tried a few RTS games, and I just don’t care for them. I’d rather be doing the shooting then telling other where to shoot.

  15. Dude, he’s going to have to say StarCraft unless he wants to anger Korea.

  16. sounds interesting but not worth $60.

  17. can you turn those red arrows on and off? The other player does see those too, do they?

  18. ” I’ve watched several times as a distinctively small marker of a band of grenadiers approached my Shermans with malicious intent.”

    If the other player cloaked what they were (with radio silence) I’m pretty sure you cannot attack them.

  19. Does elevation and flanking matter in this? I’ve heard and seen reviews say two different things.

  20. So it’s just a WW2 setting? It doesn’t go forward to the future?

  21. It means a trick, in the game you can play cards to fool the other player.

    I don’t know if it will work on the computer, though. Deagle?

  22. Yea, I’m curious if the PS3 Move really makes the game worthwhile.

  23. no, it’s WW2. You can be different countries though. I think there’s 8 or so, and they all have different tanks and planes and stuff.

  24. I think I missed a sale on this. K-Mart had it for $45. Maybe it will drop soon.

  25. I’ll probably get this when I get my Move.

  26. thanks for the review. I noticed GI really knocked off the graphics talking about texture problems and pop-up when moving the map around.

    How bad is it?

  27. Yeah, I heard the story isn’t much fun and it’s kind of weird. But then, who really plays a RTS for the story?

  28. I wonder how it played as a touchscreen game. Still the idea of fooling your opponent is really cool.

  29. Halo Reach is a long way from a RTS, and it’s still selling at full retail price, it was only released on Wednesday.

    Halo Wars on the other hand is another thing . . .not sure if you have played an RTS on the console/s, but the developers are making huge advances in controls for the console gamer who basically does not want o, or has the money to run a good gaming rig.

    The small investment for a console overall allows them the access to all genres at a fraction of the price. In the end, all games should have the right to have access to all genres, the aim of the business is to provide fun and entertainment for ALL, not just some.

  30. I’m pretty sure he meant Halo Wars.

    But good point, I want to play a game on my console and use my PC for…lets the GF chat with her Facebook friends.

  31. i like video games.and most of action games more unique for me. some one how know the play video games .evry one like your games.