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
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I just found this game on amazon and recently began playing on my Xbox 360 (You need the latest firmware update over xbox live) the gameplay is great and the story line is fun I hope the make a modern version of the game like Endwar. On a side note the resolution is only 480P so on an HD tv the picture will be smaller than your used too but still playable. Great game to pick up if you have a 360 and like strategy!Best Deals for Shattered Union - Xbox
I played the story line once and it was fun. Now I just do the arcade mode (skirmish) when I want to roll around blow stuff up. Fun time killer. Not incredibly hard. Then again I'm of an AF Ops Intel background so I know what to take out to give me the upper hand, lol. (Hint: target air defenses then bomb with impunity.) I load up on bombers heavy armor and Artillery, use Helo's to open up the battlespace and clear the fog of war, and have fun.Graphics are decent, sound is good. The aspect that makes the game fun to play over and over are the special weapons you gain after X ammount of turns. Each faction has different capabilities. And in Skirmish mode you can toggle them to either low collateral damage or high collateral damage weapons. High Collateral examples are (but not limited too) Napalm, carpet bombing, Artillery barrages, and a Nuke. Low collateral are precision weapons, electronic attack, cruise missiles, etc.
This game won't keep you riveted for days on end, but makes for a fun few hours spent waging war from time to time.
Honest reviews on Shattered Union - Xbox
A turn-based strategy game for the Xbox console! If you are the sort that loves Panzer General, then you will love this game.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Shattered Union - Xbox
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.
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