No Name War

Face Lift

The good news is that No Name War has resurfaced recently, sporting a brand new fully 3D graphics engine to replace the Total Annihilation style mixed 2D/3D affair that we were originally expecting. The result is certainly eye catching, with highly detailed polygonal buildings and units, smooth terrain and some lovely looking palm trees.

The engine also supports a number of features which can influence the gameplay as well as adding to the eye candy. For example, terrain can be deformed by explosions, allowing players to create obstacles to block the passage of enemy vehicles. There's also the now traditional day and night cycle, and as the abilities of your units vary depending on the lighting conditions, some troops might be more effective than others when it comes to launching sneaky attacks under cover of darkness.

More prominence is being given to the game's role-playing elements as well now. Each army will have a Leader with unique skills and weapons, and these will develop over the course of the game. Indeed, all of your units will gain combat experience, and any forces you have left at the end of one scenario can be carried over into the next, allowing you to gradually build up an army of veteran troops. You'll also find neutral characters hidden away in some missions, who may choose to join you or to fight against you.

Conclusion

No Name War is certainly one of the best looking real-time strategy games that we've seen to date, and if the gameplay can live up to expectations it could prove to be an innovative take on the genre as well. With epic battles, dozens of units and buildings to construct, three races to master and the promise of random maps providing almost limitless replayability, it's one to keep an eye on.