Warfare Incorporated looks like pretty much every other RTS ever
made.
The real-time strategy genre seems tailor-made for the iPhone, where ordering troops around can be done with just a tap, drag, or pinch. It's a process quicker and more intuitive than fiddling with buttons and joysticks, or even a mouse. Warfare Incorporated is happy to exploit this benefit, and though it may not look like much, it does an admirable job of shrinking down the complete RTS experience into a portable package.
Chief among Warfare's strengths is diversity. Though most levels involve some combination of building an army and then using it to crush your opposition, each level presents a slightly different take on the formula. One level, for example, puts you in command of a single, super-powered unit; another requires you to infiltrate enemy buildings with specialized "Corporate Raiders." And if the 20 levels included in the game don't strike your fancy, you're likely to find something that will in the couple hundred available for free download--a happy holdover from Warfare's initial incarnation as a 2003 Palm OS game.
Unfortunately, extra levels aren't the only holdovers from the game's old-school lineage. The graphics, especially the character art, look notably dated, and the sound effects are hilariously bargain-basement. The intelligence of computer-controlled units also falters. Both friendly units and enemies have difficulty navigating around obstacles, for example, and friendly units have no independence whatsoever; send them to a destination and they will resolutely plod along no matter what dangers might lie in their paths.
The only other major complaint is the absence of a key, RTS standby: multiplayer. The developers promise that 2- to 4-player competition is in the works, but it's absent from the current version. But even without it, the game stands up as a legitimate strategy experience. It may be a bit short on frills, but it's unquestionably long on challenge.
Huge number of maps available. Nice diversity in packed-in missions.
Sensible, intuitive control scheme that makes good use of the hardware.
Unquestionably derivative of classic RTS games. Laughably dated look
and sound. Action slows down considerably with many units on-screen. No multiplayer mode.
