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World in Conflict

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World in Conflict

Developer(s)	Massive Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Sierra Entertainment
Designer(s)	Magnus Jansén
Engine	Masstech Game Engine
Version	1.0.0.5 December 17th 2007
Released	PC: September 18, 2007 September 20, 2007 September 21, 2007 Xbox 360: February 5, 2008 Q1, 2008 Q1, 2008
Genre	Real-time tactics
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Ratings	ESRB: Teen (T) OFLC: M (Australia) PEGI: 16+
Platform(s)	Windows, Xbox 360
Media	DVD-ROM
System requirements	OS: Microsoft Windows XP/Vista. CPU: 2.0GHz Or Higher, 2.2GHz For Vista, if dual-core: Any Intel or AMD RAM: 512MB, 1GB for Vista. Disc drive: DVD-drive Hard drive: 8GB or more. Video: 128MB video RAM Direct X 9.0c Compatible. Note: ATI Radeon 8500, 9200 & Nvidia GeForce 4 MX Not Supported. Sound: Direct X 9.0c Compatible. Multiplayer: Cable, DSL or Better.
Input methods	Keyboard, Mouse, Gamepad, Microphone

World in Conflict (also known as WiC or WIC) is a real-time tactical video game developed by Massive Entertainment and published by Sierra Entertainment for Windows PC and Swordfish Studios (a division of Sierra Entertainment) creating the Xbox 360 version.^[1]^[2] The game was released in North America on 18 September 2007, 20 September 2007 in Australia and New Zealand and, in Europe on the 21 September 2007.^[3] The game is set in 1989 where economic troubles cripple the Soviet Union and threaten to dissolve it. However, the title pursues an alternate history scenario where the Soviet Union does not collapse and instead pursues a course of war to remain in power.^[4] The game was played in the 2007 Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) World Tour.^[5] Generally considered a real-time strategy (RTS) game, World in Conflict includes gameplay typical of real-time tactical (RTT) games. Nicklas Cederström, one of the designers of the game, stated that internally, World in Conflict is considered an RTT.^[2]

Gameplay

An in-game screenshot showing a tactical nuclear explosion.

World in Conflict does not offer base-building or resource gathering. Instead, players are given a pre-determined amount of in-game reinforcement points to buy units with. When a unit is destroyed, the points used to purchase it are slowly filtered back to the player: thus reinforcements can be summoned to the fray. This type of gameplay is similar to most real-time tactics (RTT) games, such as Ground Control—another real-time tactics game by Massive Entertainment,^[6] sometimes considered World in Conflict's spiritual predecessor.

Features

Factions

World in Conflict contains three main factions: USA, Soviet Union & NATO. The three are playable on Multiplayer games. However the Soviet Union is not playable for the single-player campaign, as the campaign is centred on the USA and NATO perspective. The USA and NATO are pitted against the Soviet Union throughout the story, and in online play.

Interface

Screenshot of NATO troops and World in Conflict game interface.

The game interface for World in Conflict is smaller compared with other strategy games. There is no framing in the game, so the interface is dramatically reduced especially at the bottom middle. The middle is replaced with a list of units, the top right hand corner is the expandable reinforcement procurement list. The bottom left hand corner is the mini map, while the bottom right hand corner is the special abilities buttons (including unit formation). Overall the smaller interface allows players to have a bigger view of the battlefield, allowing them to micromanage more easily than on other strategy games^{[attribution needed]}. Players can also utilise a messaging system which is designed to allow conversation between individuals regardless of whether they are in the same server or playing the same game.

World in Conflict features a fully rotational 360 degree camera. The player uses the WASD keys to move the camera around the map, while clicking and holding the mouse wheel is used to look around from a fixed position, players can move the camera as far down as close to the units on the ground.

Roles

Another feature is a system where the player may choose one of four roles in battle: infantry, air, support or armor. Each role has its own exclusive units, which aren't available for purchase from other roles. The basic units of the roles can be purchased by everyone but are more expensive for players with a different role.

Infantry - players have access to specialized infantry squads and light transport vehicles.
Armor - light, medium, heavy grades of tanks as well as APCs and amphibious troop carriers.
Air - consists entirely of helicopters suited for different purposes including scout, transport, medium attack helicopters and heavy attack helicopters.
Support - players have access to repair tank, light transport (doubles as light repair vehicle), medium anti-aircraft units, heavy anti-aircraft units, medium and heavy artillery units.

Units

Units in World in Conflict have various special features. Most units have special offensive abilities which recharge after use. Examples include standard infantry with grenade launcher attack, medium tanks with fragmentation shells, heavy (main battle) tanks with HEAT shells, medium attack helicopters with anti-aircraft missiles, heavy attack helicopters with anti-tank missiles, medium artillery (mortars) with white phosphorus shells, and heavy artillery (howitzers, rocket launchers) with smoke screen shells. In addition, most units also have a defensive ability. For example, infantry are capable of sprinting, tanks can utilise smoke screens, and helicopters are equipped with countermeasures. Some defensive abilities, such as smoke screens, may be a hindrance as well as a help by allowing a unit to remain hidden but at the same time also clouding its own view.

Tactical Aids

Carpet bombing, one of the more expensive tactical Aids.

World in Conflict uses a Tactical Aids system similar to that of Command & Conquer: Generals. Tactical Aids allow the player to perform special actions such as calling in airstrikes, deploying paratroopers, carpet bombing, or ordering the launch of a nuclear missile. Tactical Aids are available once the player has gained enough tactical aid points, which are accumulated through action on the battlefield, such as destroying enemy units, capturing and fortifying command points, or repairing friendly units. There are three categories of Tactical Aids: non-destructive, discriminative strikes and indiscriminate strikes. Each category contains five to seven different actions, which vary in effectiveness. The more effective the action, the more tactical aid points it costs to deploy. Most offensive Tactical Aids will affect not only enemy (and friendly) troops but also the environment; forests and buildings, which can be used as cover for infantry, may also be destroyed, and carpet bombing or nuclear explosions leave the landscape covered in craters. Other Tactical Aids include artillery barrages, additional units, and various forms of air support. In multiplayer games, team-mates are able to pool their Tactical Aids points, enabling more expensive actions to be purchased, by donating them to a specific player. Players may launch three of these at one single time where it is less expensive than launching one tactical aid strike at a time and waiting for it to regenorate.

Tactical Aid List

Airstrike -A jet within 20 seconds of purchase drops a cluster like bomb shredding infantry and vehicles. The area of effect is the size of a strategic point allowing for the clearing of defences and the units in it.
Arial Recon -An aircraft shows a large area of the map for a limited time including hidden units. Effective for artillery spotting and can show you a perfect strike oppertunity.
Napalm -A jet arrives dropping highly deadly flammable liquids. It is effective at making pathways through a forest and killing infantry. The area of effect is in a straight relatively long line allowing for the clearing of streets.
Airborne Drop -A high altitude cargo plane drops a small squad of paratroopers. The paratroopers are only armed with some MG's and can easily be killed off. If unseen and dropped into forests behind enemy lines, they may provide artillery support with their special ability.
Tank Buster -A jet around ten seconds shoots a line of deadly rockets in a straight line that can destroy entire tank columns or even heavy expensive artillery.
Air to Air strike - A jet arrives lauching mulitple air to air missiles which randomly target helicopters instantly destroying them in a moderatly sized area. Helicopters may drop flare countermeasures if the jet is spotted quickly enough.
Chemical Strike - A jet drops a small bomb which envelops a small area with deadly chemical agents killing all infantry in a certain amount of time sometimes allowing infantry to escape.
Light Artillery - A small artillery barrage with large gernade shells targets a small area which can devastate infantry and light vehicles.
Artillery barrage -A long and powerful volly of artillery shells is launched effectively killing infantry, all vehicles, and damaging buildings. The area effected can include an entire mountain peak or a section of town which can sometimes severely damage all of a player's units.
Repair Bridge -A destroyed bridge can be quickly rebuilt around 10 seconds using 15 points. The new bridge may be slightly smaller than the origional one.
Daisy Cutter -Othernames given it is basically a large conventenial bomb that is dropped by a small jet or a large cargo plain. It wipes out a moderately sized area destroying anything instantly. An American Daisy Cutter is dropped by a large plane allowing for some units to escape.
Presicion Artillery -A small but powerful arty barrage wipes out a small area destroying anything in it's small area.
Deploy (scout vehicle, light tank) -A large helicopter delivers a vehicle within 30 seconds. This maybe used to capture an undefended strategic point.
Strategic Nuclear Missile -A large missile is delivered/deployed in 15 seconds wiping out a large area instantly. A warning is given before a nuke arrives, rarely allowing some vehicles to escape. The nuclear blast leaves an area devastated with radiation prohibiting the use of infantry and light to medium vehiles,it then lingers for a few minutes leaving a large crater. (A glitch prohibits the use of three nukes at a time which was fixed by a recent patch).

Modes

Single player campaign

The single player campaign, owing to inspiration from Call of Duty and Medal of Honor (see the 'Influences' section below), gives the player the role of an officer of some importance, in charge of a company, while the AI handles the remainder of action on the battlefield. This contrasts the approach of most RTS titles, in which the player is in charge of whole armies and thus responsible for most of the action on the battlefield. The player will experience many different locations from various parts of the United States then to Soviet-occupied Europe then Russia and then back to the United States for the grand finale. The storyline ultimately forces the player to differ from the usual reinforcements seen in the skirmish mode or the multiplayer mode. The campaigns limit what the player can order and where they can deploy. The Single-player campaign is narrated by Alec Baldwin. The AI in the campaigns could be considered inferior when compared to the skirmish mode, as their locations and moves are fairly predictable. The Friendly AI also frequently gives hints and tips making the game too easy, though it may aid struggling players. The campaign can be played on Easy, Normal and Hard. At the conclusion of a campaign mission, a summary screen shows the usual performance statistics as well as any combat medals, ribbons, badges that a player has earned based on their performance.

Skirmish mode

In the skirmish mode, players can add up to 15 bots to play against. The player can choose the time limit from as short as a 5 minute round to a 40 minute round. The bots can be in various modes including:

No Bots - Player vs Player (LAN)
Player(s) VS Bot mode -Player(s) vs Bots
Auto even teams mode - Teams of players and bots are even.
Advanced mode - The Player picks how Bots will act throughout the game, how many there are, and which faction the bots are placed into.

If a player plays with a total of 4 or less players, they can select the few player mode which gives players around 18000 reinforcement points. The few player mode doesn't allow the player to select one out of the four roles (armor, air, support, infantry) but rather all of them are available and units from each role will be at the same cheap reinforcement price the player would incur if they selected that specific role in a multiplayer game. AI in the skirmish mode is quite intelligent, using different techniques for different game types and uses combined forces meaning that they use a variety of forces together, so there are little or no weaknesses. The bots are good at adaptations, and react well to changing situations on the battlefield. They are also quite good at using tactical aids and place the tactical aids well, which can aid struggling players. Bots try to obey commands given by the player by replying on screen. There are various modes of skirmish mode including Advanced mode, player vs bot mode and even balanced.

Multiplayer

A large skirmish battle.

Multiplayer games support up to sixteen players. Multiplayer games include 3 types of gameplay:

Domination - Where players must control command points to win the game. As more command points are controlled by one team, the domination bar speeds up, and when all command points are controlled by one team, the domination bar speed doubles.
Assault - Where one team is placed to defend a series of command points, and the other to assault the command points. It is separated into 2 parts, with the second part, the two teams are switched around.
Tug of War - Teams must fight to capture a series of command points in one line (frontline), once a line is captured the frontline is pushed back towards the enemy team. This is repeated until all of the frontlines are captured, then the game ends.

The game supports clans which players can create or can be invited to. World in Conflict uses the Massgate system, which is derived from Ground Control. The game developers have further customised the system to make things easier for players. Players can search up friends and see if they are online or playing a game. This interaction is further extended to that players could join the same game their friend/s may be playing in a click of a button. Clans feature ranks of Grunts, Officers and the Clan Leader. Players can customise their online account such as changing display pictures, allowing people to view their account. Online accounts which are based upon that of Battlefield 2 feature ranks, medals and badges. Clans can also have tournaments against each other. There are various achievement records that a player can obtain by playing well. Awards show how well the player did in a match, how well the player did in that multiplayer mode etc. Rankings show how a player ranks compared to other players, while medals show the player's achievements, they are similar to awards but easier to obtain. Badges also show the player's achievements but are easier to obtain than awards and medals. They are all separated by bronze, silver and gold and honor stars counting as extra rewards. Friend lists and acquaintances are also to be included to make finding other players easier. There is also a search tool which allows players to search for clans and players. Leaderboards are also available listing the rankings of clans, players.

Ranks, Leaderboards

For a player to successfully rank up in ranks and the leaderboard position, he or she must reach a certain score and achieve a specific amount of medals and badges. This will entitle the player to rank up. As the player ranks up more, it becomes more difficult to rank as the higher a rank is, the more awards and scores a player will need to achieve. Clans will also have leaderboard positions depending on how well they do. The ranking system featured in the game is based on the US Army ranking system. There are also statistics available to be seen in-game on Massgate or on the Massgate website.

Plot

The player experiences the war through Lieutenant Parker of the United States Army. At the beginning of the game he is on leave in Seattle at the onset of a Soviet surprise invasion of the city. Through the course of the game, Parker is promoted to the rank of Captain. The player controls Parker's role as the West engage the Soviets across several combat theaters from the west coast of the United States during the surprise invasion of Seattle to NATO's defense of Europe, particularly that of southern France. Two commanders which fight alongside Parker are - Captain Mark Bannon and Captain (later Major) James Webb. The trio are under the command of Colonel Jeremiah Sawyer who has been called out of retirement. The game pursues a "what-if" scenario where 1989 did not signal the end of the Cold War. In the 1980's, the Soviet Union found itself unable to compete with the United States because of its bankrupt and disorganized economy. Funds for the Soviet nuclear and conventional arsenal were becoming scarce. This led to increasing cuts in the civilian sector, which created widespread famines and supply shortages. As a result, the Soviet Politburo decided to blackmail Western Europe to get the aid they needed or invade Western Europe and take it themselves. The Western Alliance viewed the Politburo's threats as a bluff and attempt to orchestrate an end to the crisis through diplomatic channels. As the crisis continued, the Warsaw Pact increased its readiness level compelling NATO to mobilize a defense along the borders of the Iron Curtain. The Soviets eventually invaded West Germany and faced an undermatched NATO. As the battles continued, REFORGER convoys resupplied NATO troops with fresh reinforcements and weaponry. This led to a stalling of the Soviet advance. At the time of the initial Soviet assault, Lieutenant Parker, Captain Bannon, and Colonel Sawyer were a part of the American presence in France. They were deployed to southern France after the Soviets invaded it by sea. The trio worked there alongside a French battalion leader, Commandant Jean-Baptiste Sabatier. NATO forces attempted to throw back the Soviet advance in Marseilles. As battles were won, an overconfident Bannon, commanding a tank platoon, decided to leave Sabatier to reinforce Parker against Sawyers' orders. Soviet forces took advantage of this weakness in the front lines to launch a heavy attack in which Sabatier is killed. The Soviets were eventually thrown back into the Mediterranean. Severely reprimanded by Sawyer, Bannon's guilt over his actions came to a breaking point when NATO troops infiltrated the northern Soviet Union. During the mission, Bannon kills surrendering Soviet troops while assisting the operation. Colonel Sawyer, infuriated at Bannon's incompetence, plans to reassign him to another unit, but the military denies the transfer as officers are desperately needed on the front lines. The intelligence recovered from the operation reveal plans to attack the US east coast. Another operation was launched to stop the attack, but it had only partially succeeded, allowing the Soviet Union to heavily damage the naval base at Norfolk. A limited invasion of New York City by Soviet Spetsnaz centered around Liberty Island, Ellis Island and Governors Island is also launched but thrown back with the help of Colonel Sawyer and his officers who are recalled from Europe. With the threat to US soil appearing to be over, Parker is sent to Seattle on leave to see his family and Sawyer is finally able to transfer Bannon to a supply depot in the city as well. US intelligence did not know that the city was the Soviets' next target. Several weeks later, the USSR attacks America using disguised cargo ships to deliver their forces and quickly take Seattle by surprise. With much of the Army in Europe fighting alongside NATO allies, the Soviet Union quickly advances through the city and into the Cascade Mountains. Colonel Sawyer and his officers rally together to provide protection for the fleeing civilians. US forces manage to regroup and reorganize themselves in the Cascade Mountains in a desperate bid to defend Fort Teller, the headquarters of the United States' Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). The project, however, was a bluff but the threat of its existence had kept the Soviet Union from launching a nuclear strike. To keep this a secret, the defense of the facility had to be staged as if it were true. The battle would eventually draw a large bulk of the invasion force to the town of Cascade Falls where a nuclear strike was eventually ordered to destroy them. Captain Bannon volunteers to stay behind with his company to maintain the attack, drawing in more Soviet forces. Bannon and his unit sacrifice their lives to ensure that Fort Teller's secret remains safe. The US forces then mop up the remaining Russians and secure the base. China officially enters the war on the Soviet side by sending an invasion fleet to reinforce the Soviet beachhead in Seattle. The President orders a nuclear strike on Seattle if it cannot be retaken before the fleet arrives. Colonel Sawyer orders his forces along with Parker and Webb to break through the Soviet defenses and retake Seattle at any cost. Viewing the nuclear strike on Cascade Falls as a failure on his part despite the strategic victory in preserving the secret of SDI, Sawyer's decisions push his forces nearly to the breaking point. After one final, desperate attack, Sawyer's forces manage to push deep in Seattle. However, Webb is severely wounded by a sniper's bullet meant for Sawyer, leaving only Parker to hold the city against the massive Russian counterattack. Finally, additional reinforcements arrive and Seattle is safely back in American hands. The Chinese fleet turns around as they lack the equipment to perform a full scale amphibious assault. It is implied that the narrator is Parker (voiced by Alec Baldwin), conclusively proven at the end ("Webb pulled me aside and said, 'Parker, I think [Sawyer] may have finally taken us too far. Be careful.'"), as he recounts the war from his perspective. The game concludes with a statement that Parker may be called upon to fight later on, hinting of an expansion to World in Conflict or a sequel, as fighting continues in Europe and elsewhere.

Development

Influences

The game's designers have cited the 1984 film Red Dawn as one of their key influences [1]. The film's main premise is the invasion of America by Soviet and Central American troops. Echoes of the film can be seen in the initial paratroop landings (though in the film they happen in Colorado) and in the use of civilian transports to disguise a Soviet invasion force; again, this differs slightly from the film. Tom Clancy's novel Red Storm Rising is likely to have some elements drawn from it; as it depicts a conventional war between NATO and the Warsaw Pact in West Germany, though much of the action takes place at sea. An added factor was that the co-author of the book, Larry Bond, was the main consultant for the World in Conflict team.

Another influence for the game, according to issue 7 of the WiC Journal, are the first-person shooter game series Call of Duty and Medal of Honor, and how the games give the player a relatively small role in a big conflict and will command small numbers of units at a time rather than whole hordes. The developers, still according to the journal, have also looked to the games Battlefield 2 and Counter-Strike: Source for inspiration. The game play is reminiscent of Conflict Zone, as the camera angles and basic troops are similar. The plot is also highly reminiscent of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2, featuring a Soviet invasion of the US.

Strategic Air Command DVD by The History Channel.

Acknowledgement was made in the campaign mode of the indignation many Koreans had expressed over a scene in the James Bond film Die Another Day, which features an American officer giving orders to obedient South Korean troops. Upon arriving in France, the brash American colonel assumes command of the NATO troops, presuming a MacArthur-like role, but his French equivalent is insulted, calling the colonel's attitude unprecedented. The colonel's word wins out in the end, but the Frenchman gripes about how Americans think they rule the world.

Pre-ordering

Customers who had pre-ordered World in Conflict received a Modern Marvels: The Strategic Air Command DVD by The History Channel (North America, Australia, New Zealand), a Declassified: The Rise and Fall of The Wall DVD by The History Channel (Europe only), a World in Conflict FragMat Mousepad (United States only),^[7] exclusive bonus multiplayer maps for beta and demo and exclusive Massgate account privileges (securing online account, creating/joining clan etc.).^[8]

Collector's edition

English Packaging of collector's edition.

The collector's edition of World in Conflict comes in a limited edition collector's box art cloth packaging (with a Soviet flag on one side and Russian wording of "World in Conflict", and the USA Flag on the other with English "World in Conflict") and includes an authentic piece of the Berlin Wall,^[9] Modern Marvels: The Berlin Wall DVD by The History Channel, Behind the Scenes DVD and World in Conflict exclusive Creative HS-390 headset (Europe Only).^[10] The collector's edition in Poland is different compared to collector's editions in other countries. It includes an exclusive World in Conflict wooden container, limited edition collector's box art packaging (Soviet or USA Flag), a full-sized flag of the USA or Soviet Union, an exclusive World in Conflict poster, a t-shirt and cap with the World in Conflict logo and decorations and a World in Conflict exclusive Trust Hs-2200 headset.^[11]

Taiwanese Metallic Packaging of collector's edition.

The collector's edition available in Taiwan, is also different. As there was no preorder scheme put into place. It includes an exclusive flag of the Soviet Union, a Modern Marvels: Strategic Air Command DVD by the History Channel, Special translated behind the scenes DVD, Metallic packaging featuring the Soviet Flag on the front, and the USA flag on the back.[2][3]

Pre-release

Trailers

A screenshot captured from the announcement trailer.

Combat Briefing – Introduction by Founder & President of Massive Entertainment. Briefly shows the history background for the game. Explaining how the Berlin Wall fell, and shows some in-game features. Also talks about the design for the game.
Announcement Trailer - Features cinematics of Soviet troops attack US troops in a shopping mall, US troops attacking Soviet forces in a suburban area, US troops holding a beach on the West Coast and Soviet troops paratrooping from a transport plane in flak filled sky into a now Seattle on the West Coast.
CES 07 Trailer - Shows some historical footage of US-Soviet Relations, rewinds the fall of the Berlin Wall as it never happened, and shows various cinematics clips of the Soviet Invasion of Seattle and the West Coast.
Seattle Invasion – Shows the Soviet invasion forces posing as civilian freighters invading Seattle, with a US counter-attack at Burger King.
NATO trailer – Shows combat footage of NATO forces in the European Theater.
Ruling the World – Shows combat footage between NATO forces and Warsaw Pact. Also combined with "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears as background music.
Looking for Survivors – An army lieutenant and a nurse go on a search and rescue mission in the West Coast village of Pine Valley. The trailer shows flashback battle sequences and, through dialogue between the nurse and lieutenant confirms that cities and towns all over the West Coast have been destroyed.
US Town - Dialogue between US troops confirming that Soviet troops have entered Parker's Creek, US troops then try to take back the town but is beaten back. US troops then call in various forms of air support and obliterate the town.
US Airbase – Shows a Soviet tactical nuclear missile annihilating a US airbase in the desert.
Counterattack - Shows Soviet forces reinforcing the now destroyed town of Parker's Creek, and US forces initiating an attack from a church opposite the town. Featuring lots of in-game footage with various units from both sides.
Magnum P.I. – Shows the characters of the single player campaign.
Destruction Blues – Shows the tactical aids of the game.
Exclusive GC 2007 New York Counterattack trailer – Shows US forces counter-attack in New York City with "Shadow on the Sun" by Audioslave as background music. Shows the first wave of U.S. Marines trying to retake Governors Island
The Preacher - Shows a performer making a partisan broadcast for the radio channel Radio Free Seattle. Colonel Sawyer then disconnects the radio nearby and slams it on a diner counter.
Washington D.C. (Unreleased. Available only on the bonus Collector's Edition DVD) - Shows a fighter pilot tracking a truck along a major highway in the Washington area. The truck actually contains a nuclear device that explodes just as the pilot confirms it as his objective. A brief scene of the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument being destroyed in the resulting shock wave is shown from the perspective of the Marine Corps War Memorial.

Betas, demos and trials

Massive released a closed beta during May and June 2007 featuring multiplayer games. During July, an open beta was released which featured a tutorial and the "Domination" & "Assault" modes of multiplayer. It started on July 11, 2007 ended on August 1.^[12] A PC demo was released on August 24, 2007, featuring a tutorial, a single player campaign mission and "Domination" mode of multiplayer on the map "Seaside" and one skirmish map (also seaside) playing with bots.^[13] A full multiplayer trial was released on Fileplanet during November, it is available to everyone and features the full multiplayer version of the game. The trial ended on the last day of November.

Early release

Despite some U.S. retailers having sold copies of the game a full week prior to its release, the September 18th release date remained unchanged. Those who acquired software packages prior to the official release date were confined to the single-player aspect, as any attempt to log into Massive's multiplayer servers results in a message stating that the online service, Massgate, would not be open until September 18th.

Reception

Critic reviews

Eurogamer.net: 9/10^[14]
Game Informer: 9.25 out of 10^[15]
Gamespot: 9.5/10 "Editor's Choice"^[16]
IGN: Overall 9.3/10, IGN.com Editors' Choice Award^[17]
JustPressPlay.net: 9 out of 10^[18]
PC Gamer UK: 8.8 out of 10^[19]
PC Powerplay AU: 9/10 Editors Choice
Gamerankings.com: Average critic score 89%^[20]
Metacritic: 89 out of 100 ("Generally favourable reviews")^[21]
PC Gamer US: 93% out of 100% Editors Choice
PCZONE UK: 92/100, PCZONE Classic Award^[22]
Press Start Online: Silver Award^[23]

Other

World in Conflict was also noted as:

Gamespy's Game Of The Month (September) 1st Runner Up [4]
Good Game Review: 9/10
British Academy of Film and Television Arts Video Games Awards 2007 Multiplayer Game Nominee

E3 Awards

Prior to its initial release in September, World in Conflict has received several awards from its E3 presentation in 2007.

IGN: Best PC Strategy Game, Best Strategy Game (All Platforms), Best Of E3 2007^[24]^[25]
Gamespot: Best Strategy Game Of E3, E3'07 Editors Choice Award^[26]
GameTrailers.com: Best Strategy Game Of E3^[27]
Game Critics: E3 2007 Best Strategy Game, The Best Of E3 07 Winner^[28]