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Act of War

Topic: Software

 From HandWiki - Reading time: 11 min

Act of War: Direct Action
European cover art
Developer(s)Eugen Systems
Publisher(s)Atari
Designer(s)Alexis Le Dressay
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: 15 March 2005
  • EU: 18 March 2005
Genre(s)Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Act of War: Direct Action is a real-time strategy game developed by Eugen Systems and published by Atari. The game was released in March 2005[1] and features a detailed story written by Dale Brown, a retired captain of the United States Air Force and a bestselling author. An expansion pack called Act of War was released in March 2006 in Europe and Australia, and in May 2006 in North America.[citation needed] The original game and expansion were later released as Act of War: Gold Edition, on 28 September 2007 in Europe.[citation needed] In September 2015 Eugen Systems released Act of Aggression which is considered a spiritual successor to Act of War.[2]

Gameplay

The game includes a combination of pre-rendered cut-scenes and over an hour of live action film. Live action was shot in Montreal , Quebec, Canada during the summer of 2004. Pre-rendered cut-scenes were done using machinima technique, wherein one person plays while being recorded from different angles (with all interface elements hidden). The recorded video is then post-processed and provided with sound effects and dialog.

In Act of War, heavily wounded soldiers are immobilized and are unable to engage in combat until they receive medical attention. They may bleed to death or be taken as the prisoners of war by the enemy. Buildings are realistically destructible and barricades can be created. Unlike RTS games in which all-around-effective units may be mass-produced and used almost exclusively over other units, Act of War requires the player to use a variety of units.

The soundtrack is composed by Marc Canham and Jonathan Williams, and performed at Nimrod Studio Orchestra. It was released on 7 July 2006.

Plot

Act of War is set in what is only referred to as "a near future" (presumably 2017 or 2023, since the game starts on Wednesday, 10 May) where gasoline prices in the United States have reached over $7 a gallon due to a global economic crisis. One week before the "World Energy Forum" meeting in London, a terrorist bombing destroys an oil facility in Houston. As such, an elite top-secret military unit known as Task Force Talon is assigned to guard the World Energy Forum, which is attacked by terrorists hiding amongst the anti-WEF protestors. Two VIPs are kidnapped in the attack: Arthur Kingman, CEO of TransGlobal Energy corporation (TGE), and Yegor Zakharov, the CEO of a rival oil company. Task Force Talon manages to recover these VIP before they are apparently murdered. Later, an unknown terrorist faction launches a massive military assault in San Francisco . With the aid of Task Force Talon, the attackers are eventually neutralized.

To protect against further attacks on American soil, the U.S. government orders a recall of all military forces deployed overseas. However, the commander of Task Force Talon, Major Jason Richter, suspects the terrorist attack was designed to force the recall order, noticing the primary target of the latest terrorist attacks had been TGE, the oil company on the verge of resolving the oil crisis. Therefore, Major Richter goes against executive orders from the U.S. president and deploys Task Force Talon forces to Egypt, where they gather enough intelligence to convince the President to support their pre-emptive action and also defend the TGE oil refinery complex in Egypt, deploying cutting-edge military technology against an enemy that now possesses self-propelled artillery and stealth tanks.

During the battle in Egypt, Task Force Talon discoveres the identity of their enemy: the Consortium - a shadow organization of joint oil companies banking terrorist forces as a third party - which is led by Zakharov, who owns two of the labs that produced stealth tanks. The United States government, Task Force Talon and the Russian government launch a joint assault against Zakharov, whom started an uprising in Russia and is now in possession of a full army, a small air force and even 9K720 Iskander ballistic missiles. Through the joint effort, Zakharov is eventually captured.

Major Richter personally takes Zakharov to the United States. Upon arrival, however, he finds Washington, D.C. under the military occupation of the Consortium. Even as the U.S. forces struggle to liberate the United States Capitol, the 81st U.S. Armored Division, taken over by the Consortium, rescues Zakharov and occupies the White House area. The President attempts to escape but the Marine One helicopter is shot down, forcing Task Force Talon to rush to his rescue. Eventually, the U.S. Army and Task Force Talon mount a counter-attack on the Consortium-occupied White House, facing cutting-edge enemy technology that is supposed to be top-secret U.S. and Russian prototypes. Even as they reclaim the White House, Zakharov unleashes the Falling Star, a space-based superweapon. Having deployed Patriot batteries to counter the Falling Star, Task Force Talon and the United States Army deploy cruise missiles to destroy Zakharov's base. Zakharov is discovered dead after Major Richter, standing atop of a massive smoldering crater, orders a DNA analysis of the remains.

Factions

United States military

The United States military is the conventional war machine of Act of War with familiar (as of the game's release date) military units like the marines, AH-64 Apache and M1 Abrams main battle tank. The only exception is the F-22 Raptor, which is not featured in the game. United States military in possession of the greatest number of units and upgrades, each of which are specialized for a certain role. For example, the F-15 can only attack other air units, although it is the best fighter aircraft unit in the game. Meanwhile, the sniper is very effective against infantry but ineffective against anything else. While not necessarily a true weakness, the US Military has an obligation to follow DEFCON procedures. To access its full strength, it must upgrade to DEFCON 2 and then to DEFCON 1, each of which are expensive.

Task Force Talon

Task Force Talon is a top-secret U.S. military branch, equipped with cutting-edge hardware. It includes units that, at the time of the game's release, were either cutting-edge, experimental or fictional. These units include Global Hawk (an unmanned stealthy aircraft) S.H.I.E.L.D. Unit (an infantryman wearing an exoskeleton suit equipped with both machine guns and rockets) and Spinner Tank (a tank with customizable weapons).

Task Force Talon focuses on versatility. For example, the Global Hawk can be upgraded with anti-tank missiles and change role. This versatility however, comes at high cost: Task Force Talon units and upgrades are very expensive for good reasons and the AI is unable to use most Task Force Talon units properly because all late game units requires some basic micromanagement and strategic planning. Therefore, losing too many units early in a game due to misuse and poor strategic choices quickly decide the outcome of the battle.

Consortium

The Consortium is a shadowy organization with unknown origins and objectives. The branch of the Consortium featured in this game consists of terrorist groups and a renegade Russian army offshoot, supported by oil companies bent on creating an oil monopoly as well as manipulating political events for personal gain. This branch is led by Yegor Zakharov, the game's primary antagonist. However, it is hinted (and later confirmed in Act of War) that there are other Consortium branches.

The Consortium operates in two alert status modes: Undercover and Revealed. In undercover mode, the Consortium resorts to hiring mercenaries, terrorists and certain governments into doing their dirty work, relying more on massing inexpensive units such as infantry units initially equipped with AK-74 (customizable after purchasing) as well as surplus military hardware provide versatility in battle. In revealed mode, however, the Consortium deploys high-tech combat equipment such as YF-23 Black Widow II (a stealth aircraft) Akula Stealth Tank (a cloaked tank armed with twin railguns) and Optical-Camo Soldier (an infantry unit wearing active camouflage). Ironic as it may be, in revealed mode, almost all Consortium units have stealth capabilities.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic82/100[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGMStarStarStarStarHalf star[4]
CGWStarStarStarStar[5]
Eurogamer8/10[6]
Game Informer8.25/10[7]
GameProStarStarStarHalf star[8]
GameSpot8.5/10[9]
GameSpyStarStarStarHalf star[10]
GameZone8.6/10[11]
IGN8.5/10[12]
PC Gamer (US)82%[13]

The game received "favourable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3]

It was a runner-up for Computer Games Magazine's list of 2005's top 10 computer games.[14]

References

  1. ↑ "SORTIE DE ACT OF WAR : DIRECT ACTION EN EUROPE" (in fr). 18 March 2005. Archived from the original on 15 October 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20051015100410/http://infogrames.fr/fr/pressreleases_story.html?sid=237. Retrieved 14 April 2022. 
  2. ↑ Sykes, Tom (9 August 2014). "Eugen Systems Announces Act of War Successor Act of Aggression". PC Gamer. https://www.pcgamer.com/eugen-systems-announces-act-of-war-successor-act-of-aggression/. Retrieved 1 September 2015. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Act of War: Direct Action for PC Reviews". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/act-of-war-direct-action/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved 16 June 2023. 
  4. ↑ "Review: Act of War: Direct Action". Computer Games Magazine (theGlobe.com) (176): 60. July 2005. 
  5. ↑ Chick, Tom (June 2005). "Act of War [Direct Action"]. Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (252): 84–85. https://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_252.pdf. Retrieved 16 June 2023. 
  6. ↑ Gillen, Kieron (10 March 2005). "Act of War: Direct Action [date mislabeled as "9 May 2005""]. Gamer Network. Archived from the original. Error: If you specify |archiveurl=, you must also specify |archivedate=. https://web.archive.org/web/20151104152516/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_actofwardirectaction_pc. Retrieved 16 June 2023. 
  7. ↑ "Act of War: Direct Action". Game Informer (GameStop) (142): 138. April 2005. 
  8. ↑ DJ Dinobot (28 March 2005). "Act of War: Direct Action Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG Entertainment). Archived from the original on 19 March 2006. https://web.archive.org/web/20060319101948/http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/43849.shtml. Retrieved 16 June 2023. 
  9. ↑ Ocampo, Jason (21 March 2005). "Act of War: Direct Action Review". Fandom. Archived from the original on 22 March 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050322061627/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/actofwardirectaction/review.html. Retrieved 16 June 2023. 
  10. ↑ Lopez, Miguel (18 March 2005). "GameSpy: Act of War [Direct Action"]. IGN Entertainment. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/act-of-war/597461p1.html. Retrieved 16 June 2023. 
  11. ↑ Knutson, Michael (30 March 2005). "Act of War: Direct Action – PC – Review". Archived from the original on 10 February 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080210212337/http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r24671.htm. Retrieved 16 June 2023. 
  12. ↑ Adams, Dan (14 March 2005). "Act of War: Direct Action". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/03/15/act-of-war-direct-action. Retrieved 16 June 2023. 
  13. ↑ "Act of War: Direct Action". PC Gamer (Future US) 12 (6): 60. June 2005. 
  14. ↑ CGM staff (March 2006). "The Best (and Worst) of 2005: The 15th Annual Computer Games Awards". Computer Games Magazine (theGlobe.com) (184): 42–47. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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