This summer, many reviewers and fan sites will no doubt quote William Shakespeare with the line “Cry ‘Havoc,’ and let slip the dogs of war,” when reviewing Silicon Dreams/Talonsoft’s upcoming real-time tactical simulation that utilizes part of the phrase in the title. Of course probably only a few of those will know that the line is spoken by Marcus Antonius (Marc Antony) in the play Julius Caesar, and ONLY after Caesar has been killed by the Senators of Rome. The phrase, which continues “That this foul deed shall smell above the earth with Carrion men, groaning for burial,” is not a gallant cry to rally the troops but is a somber speech about the aftermath of battle (sorry for the lesson in Shakespeare).
But the title is also fitting with the exciting new tactical simulation because, while the game is terribly enjoyable to play, it also shows a glimpse of the destructive capabilities of a large mechanized army in an urban setting. There have been dozens of real-time strategy simulations but few have ever taken part in a dense urban locale where players must contend with the man-made environment as much as with their enemy. The Dogs of War, which was showcased at E3, will arrive in the summer and it is a nice step on the evolutionary ladder of real-time action tactical simulations.
Set in the near future on the planet Primus IV, players lead one of three powers caught up in a fierce border conflict that has escalated into a war of attrition. Dogs of War focuses on large pitched battlefields up to 25 square kilometers, and fought by highly mobile forces at a frightening pace without time for the player to think too long about important decisions. This helps immerse the player into an experience that is much like the ones real world commanders face when enemy units are on the move and decisions must be made instantaneously - although without the same real world results of course.
