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Shattered Union - Xbox

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 9 / 9
Date: January 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Shattered Union takes place in the not so distant future where a mishap has allowed the most unpopular president in the history of the United States to remain in office for a second term with no election taking place.

Washington DC is nuked... the entire governing body of the US is wiped out, chaos ensues. States secede from the Union and form their own governments. Europe, feeling the effects of the economy collapsing in the US sends a force of EU "Peacekeepers" to restore order. And so... the battlefield is set, the US is at War with itself for the second time in history.

It's up to you to restore peace and order, to unite the country once again. Seven different factions are at your disposal to accomplish this task.

Pacifica
The California Commonwealth
The Great Plains Federation
The New England Alliance
The Confederacy
The Republic of Texas
European Union

Each faction is comprised of their own strengths and weaknesses, but are very similar in terms of battle units. Which are a virtual smorgasbord of units based on real life American military vehicles as well as some fictional units to keep things exciting. Abrams super tanks, Bradley's, Apache Gunships and Stealth Bombers are all yours to command. Each faction also has their own variation on a super tank. A massive tank unit that is generally the most powerful unit on the field. It's basically the Chuck Norris of tanks.

Beyond that, each faction has their own set of special weapons or tactics that can be unleashed on the field of battle. These range from troop buffs to laser guided tomahawk missile strikes as well as nuclear attacks and other things that are best discovered on your own. These special tactics become available only when you have a certain political reputation, be it evil or be it for the greater good.

The actual battles are played out like any hex based strategy game. You take turns moving your units in a turn based fashion that will instantly be familiar to any Advanced Wars Vet, as well as anyone familiar with the excellent Panzer General series. The battle system is pretty straightforward. The unit with the most destructive power will do the most damage. So if you take a Humvee heads up with a tank... the Humvee is going to be demolished in a timely manner.

Each unit has its own set of attributes that rate it's strength against each unit type, its defense, fuel, movement, sight and weapon range. Generally there is a ying to every yang. For example, to take out a tank, you'll want to use aircraft units. To take out aircraft you will want to use anit-aircraft units... etc. The trick is finding out the best method to deliver the greatest amount of pain and destruction, while taking a small amount of it yourself. You'll also want to keep a close eye on your fuel supply, as there are no supply units in this game and running out of fuel is quite common for the rolling battle fortress tanks. You can't kick any butt if you can't get there. Strategic movement and troop placement are very vital in this game.

In-between battles you will be presented with a tactical map screen of the United States. The map displays each factions current progress. There is not a lot to do here. You can buy and repair units or you can attack a neighboring state. You can do both of these in one turn as well. Each state has its own resources. Money, Oil, Tank Factories, population etc. When you control a state you will reap the benefits. Take Texas and its oil and your units will have more fuel during battles. Take a state with high cash flow and you will earn more money per turn. Take a state with Tank Factories and the price to build tanks will go down. You get the picture.. so it's important to take states strategically and to keep track of your supplies and resources.

All of your units are available in all of your territories that you control. So there is no need to micro-manage your units and place them in different states. This is very helpful and eliminates a lot of nonsense. The rule is that you can use each of your units once per battle period. So, say for example, you attack someone with half of your units. You then will have half of your units remaining if someone else attacks you. But if you attack someone all-out, you will be left defenseless if someone attacks you on their turn. So It's always a good idea to keep some in reserve for defense.

The story is delivered via news broadcasts in-game and are entertaining, but sadly, they're few and far between.

The graphics are well done, nothing spectacular here, but there are some nice details. Zoom in and you can see skyscrapers in the small city hexes. When a tank drives across the landscape you'll see treadmarks streak across the screen. Bridges and highway overpasses, interstates, great lakes, and rolling hillsides. You'll have to pay attention to the smaller details to really appreciate the graphic engine.

Each unit is comprised of a fully 3d model and are well done with small details shining through. The battle animations are second to none and occur in real time with real time damage. It's always nice to sit back and watch your super tank unleash hell on a smaller unit and then watch as it bursts into flames and finally explodes. I get a genuine feeling of satisfaction out of it.

The sound effects are excellent. You'll hear engines roar, and cannons will BOOM! and ring true. Each unit has unique sounds and weapons and it's a pleasure to hear them all.

Music is ambient and fits the mood of the game well. I don't think anything ever sounded out of place.

All in all, Shattered Union is a well thought out game and is easy to pick up and play, even for newbs to the genre. But to master it.. well that is a more difficult task

For me personally, there is nothing better than sitting down with a quality strategy game and having a cold drink to waste the day away, and this game is one of the best for doing just that.

4 out of 5 stars

-Luke

shattered union is not what it could be

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 11
Date: February 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

You know, I really like turn-based strategy (TBS) games. I really get into the tactics of holding territory, using lines of sight, and planning out my offensives in painstaking detail. Maybe that's why I hate this game so much. Shattered Union really does do an amazing job- of taking all the worst parts of the TBS genre (butt-ugly graphics [reminiscent of an early PSone game], rage-inducing menu-driven controls, and unnecessarily complex rule structures) and combining them into a giant pile of half-assed gameplay. What completely destroys any remaining worth that this title might hold for me, though, is the ridiculously large emphasis on scouting. (How am I supposed to annihilate enemy troops and conquer a nation when I can only see what's happening on about 20% of the area of a map?) In conclusion, gaming giant 2K Games has really given their fans something to scream in agony about this time.

good wargame for beginners.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 15
Date: December 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

shattered union, advance wars, massive assault are all easy to play wargames.

if you want a complex wargame try daisenryaku.

in shattered union, you frequently get to play as the defender, which i like.

dont forget to play the old dos classic battle isle 2.

Above Average

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: May 12, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Ok, so its pretty light on storyline. A little effort could have turned this into a much better game. That said it does represent a genre we do not see much at all these days. Turned based games are somewhat on the outs these days but they always had a purpose. This is one of the few left on the market for a modern gaming platform. At bargain basement prices it is a good diversion for a single player. Better for two to face off though.

Shattered Union

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 2
Date: March 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game for my boyfriend's birthday. Although the graphics are amazing during the introduction, we were a bit disappointed that they are quite basic throughout the game. He loves to play the game with his brother - so a 25 yr. old and a 15 yr. old love the game. They battle over parts of the country, and spend hours playing. It's a little hard to get the hang of, so you might want to spend 5 minutes reading the directions, as opossed to an hour getting killed!

Great game you can play over and over!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: April 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is different. It doesn't have great graphics and it is not like the other military games, infact it is a lot like chess. You just move your army and watch them battle. I rented this game at my local game store and then baught it because it is a great game that you can play over and over with friends and family.

Good turn-based strategy game, like chess with tanks.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: May 29, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is similar to the game "Super Conflict" I used to play on Super Nintendo. Aaaahhh... I love the smell of nostalgia in the morning.

Does not work on X360

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: November 20, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Amazon.com Please note that this game is NOT compatible with the X360.

I bought it expecting to be able to play it on my X360 with ease. Unfortunately, it does NOT work.

This game is rated as 3 stars, average game play and average fun, because it was an average game...=p

Really fun, slightly buggy

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 23, 2008
Author: Amazon User

A turn-based strategy game for the Xbox console! If you are the sort that loves Panzer General, then you will love this game.

Review Page: 1 

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