World in Conflict: Soviet Assault

World in Conflict: Soviet Assault
Developer(s)	Massive Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Ubisoft
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	NA March 10, 2009[1] EU March 12, 2009[2] AUS March 17, 2009
Genre(s)	Real-time strategy
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer
Distribution	DVD,[3] Online Download [4]

World in Conflict: Soviet Assault is a 2009 expansion pack developed by Massive Entertainment and Swordfish Studios for the 2007 real-time tactics video game World in Conflict. It features the ability to play as the Soviet Union in the single player campaign, against which the player fought in the original World in Conflict as well as adding additional multiplayer maps.^[5]

The game is set in an alternate 1989 in which the Politburo of the Soviet Union elects to take military action to sustain itself, rather than collapse. Failing to achieve aid diplomatically, the Soviet Union invades Western Europe and the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. However, in addition to the standard US campaign, the player also assumes the role of Romanov, a Lieutenant in the Soviet Army under the command of Colonel Vladimir Orlovsky. Orlovsky also commands two other subordinates in his battalion, his nephew Captain Nikolai Malashenko and old friend Major Valeriy Lebedjev, a KGB officer attached to the battalion. The expansion adds a total of six Soviet missions interspersed between the original game's missions, thus completing the story and acting as an update for the campaign while retaining the original game's units and features.

The World In Conflict Complete Edition and stand alone Soviet Assault Expansion Pack were released in the United States on March 10, 2009 and later on in Europe and Australia on March 12, 2009.

Gameplay

The new expansion features 6 new single player missions and 2 new multiplayer maps. It features new missions in the single player campaign and will integrate these new missions with the current US campaign, meaning the two will be interwoven with one another. The Console versions were to feature voice commands that would allow units to be ordered and deployed onto to the battlefield through a headset.^[6] However this feature was never implemented for the PC version. The 2 multiplayer maps are available free of charge for owners of the original World in Conflict.^[7]

Plot

Soviet Assault brings a new Soviet campaign that is entwined with the original World in Conflict campaign, tying up the loose ends in the original campaign.

The first mission begins with the final Soviet preparations for World War III, with the invasion and total occupation of West Germany and the annihilation of the US 6th Armored Battalion in West Berlin. Commanded by Colonel Orlovsky, the mission is a success, and the path to occupying West Germany is open. Following this mission, the storyline snaps back to the Soviet invasion of Seattle, 4 months after the invasion of Western Europe.

The Soviet presence in America is, unsurprisingly, met with hostility by the civilian population. Whilst Orlovsky understands their hatred and tries to pursue a more peaceful means of engaging the militia, his subordinate and nephew Captain Malashenko suggests that rounding up civilians to firing squads would lead to a rapid surrender. Orlovsky vehemently refuses such a barbaric notion, and forbids any firing squads. Malashenko ignores this order, and is caught by Orlovsky just before he begins executing prisoners. Angered by his show of disrespect and dishonor, Orlovsky warns Malashenko that if he steps out of line again, he will be sent home in shame.

Going back months before the Seattle invasion, and after the Soviet invasion of West Germany, the situation in Europe has become a stalemate, with very little progress being made by either side. In order to break this stalemate, Orlovsky's battalion is tasked with raiding a Norwegian early warning base, allowing the Soviet Air Force to fly air raids deep into NATO countries such as France and the United Kingdom. Despite the success of the mission, news quickly reaches Orlovsky that NATO forces have made an incursion on Soviet territory near the submarine base at Murmansk. Orlovsky's battalion returns home to defend a POW camp from a NATO attack, successfully repelling them with artillery and helicopters. During the mission, an already disdainful, but patriotic, Malashenko is informed that his wife and child have both been killed in a NATO operation. Infuriated by this, Malashenko states his fury at the lack of progress being made, and the constant lies being fed to the Army and to civilians by the GRU and the government respectively.

Following the aftermath of Cascade Falls, where a tactical nuclear device was detonated to protect Fort Teller, a headquarters for the Strategic Defense Initiative, Lieutenant Romanov, as well as the remaining members of the battalion retreat to Seattle to prepare for the inevitable US counterattack. A flight of Mi-24 Hind gunships are provided to neutralize M270 MLRS positions, but as the mission progresses, Colonel Orlovsky soon realizes the futility of their mission, and makes arrangements for the battalion to return home to Russia. In a fit of rage following this news, Malashenko shoots and kills Orlovsky, and brings his company to Seattle with as many men as he can. Major Lebedjev, the KGB attache to the battalion, assumes command and, following his predecessor's plan, orders the remaining forces home.

Distribution

The expansion was delivered through two methods: online download and retail. There are two retail versions, with one consisting of the expansion only, with another, called "World in Conflict: Complete Edition", containing the original game and the Soviet Assault expansion. The online download only contains the Soviet Assault expansion and is designed for players who already have the original game.^[4]

All the multiplayer content released for Soviet Assault (new maps) is available free of charge to the World in Conflict community via Massgate.^[8] However the new single-player missions must be purchased for the user to access the content.

Development

Soviet Assault was going to be released in Q4 2008 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as a stand-alone game, and for Windows-based PCs as an expansion pack. However, the console versions were cancelled.^[9]

On July 29, 2008, Sierra dropped World in Conflict: Soviet Assault, among other games from their productions, putting the game's future in question.^[10]

On August 6, 2008, Sierra Massive Entertainment was put up for sale.^[11] On November 11, Massive was acquired by Ubisoft.

References

External links

• World in Conflict official website