Review by: Daniel King
Published: December 4, 2002

Last year saw the release of Rival Interactive’s disappointing real-time strategy game, Real War. Its follow-up, Rogue States, attempts to correct its poor AI, awkward interface and lackluster gameplay while adding new single-player campaigns and multiplayer modes. While the campaign against terrorists in Simon & Schuster’s latest game based on the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s war simulation for the US Army might draw some interest, the question is, does Rogue States succeed where the original failed? Read on.

Despite the fact Rogue States contains some unconventional and even innovative modes of play, at heart, it’s a classic real-time strategy game. It follows the tried and true formula of resource acquisition, base construction and fighting the enemy. In that respect, it’s similar to famous predecessors like Warcraft and Command & Conquer as well as their numerous offspring.

Although Simon & Schuster claims that the Real War series is the only real-time strategy franchise featuring the weapons of today’s military, and despite the fact that Rogue States‘ box art makes use of George W. Bush’s well known Axis of Evil speech, that isn’t to say that these titles accurately depict the current war on terrorism. While today’s war on terror includes American troops campaigning overseas, their current missions consist of combating individual groups rather than nations known to sponsor terror. Rogue States takes some liberties with this reality and pits the US Army, Navy and Air Force against the Independence Liberation Army, a conglomerate of fanatics and terrorists, as well as their nations of origin.

Despite the fact that both sides have a few unique units, their arsenals are strikingly similar. This isn’t what you’d expect, as in reality the American Army’s resources are vastly greater than those of any known terrorist organization. New units on the American side include an infantry Medic with a weak attack and a Sniper whose long-range rifle is effective from great distances, but is incapable of rapid fire. The Americans will also be able to make use of a Gunship that makes mincemeat of infantry, an Attack Transport that doesn’t require a landing field and a Drone used primarily for scouting. Add a Stealth Bomber that’s almost impossible to detect on radar and comes chockfull of long range weapons, an Ultra Fighter that’s not only a superb air-to-air unit, but also is able to carry a large bombing payload, and three new base defense mechanisms, and the U.S. arsenal is a formidable one.