14 DAY TRIAL // I've never expected the R.U.S.E. open beta, currently available for all those who have a Steam account and the patience to download it, to grab me as much as it has.
As detailed in my initial impressions of the current state of the title developed by Eugen Systems, it's not a very complex gaming experience and after a few games as the featured nations, I actually long to get the impressive tactical and strategic depth of something like Hearts of Iron III with any of them. Still, I continue to play the beta, driven by the twin forces of competition and revenge. I plan on doing the same thing over this weekend.
R.U.S.E. is actually quite close to competitive StarCraft in some respects. An entire game can be decided by the first few moves made by a player, with the loss of a single construction truck to an enemy fighter bomber having the potential to destroy the equilibrium of a match between two people of similar skill. And every time I get hammered by a better player, I instantly log back in and try out a new match, with full knowledge of the actual moment when it all went downhill. Of course, I manage to screw up in an entire new manner in the next match.
And when World War II strategy is too much for me, I plan on starting the Awakening expansion for Dragon Age: Origins, out in Europe on March 19. It promises more skills, tactics, companions and a more focused yet still massive story involving some more intelligent Darkspawn - quite intriguing. Let's hope that until that moment, I will be able to actually decide which of my Origins characters I am interested in importing and using initially. I am currently leaning towards my Elf Rogue.