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R.U.S.E. is a real-time strategy video game developed by Eugen Systems and published by Ubisoft which was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, in September 2010. R.U.S.E. is a strategy game with systems, intended to be superior over brute force, that focus on information warfare. Players can use a series of ruses and decoys to trick their enemies and change the outcome of the battles.

Story

R.U.S.E. takes place during the period of World War II. There is one story arc in the game, and it takes place from the point of view of Joseph Sheridan of the United States Army. A Harvard dropout, Joe Sheridan later joined the US Army and then assumed control of the First Armored Division.

The game opens in 1945 as General Sheridan liberates Colditz Castle to free an undercover operative, code named Nightingale, who knows the identity of an Axis informer, code named Prometheus. Sheridan then reminisces to 1942 when he was a Major during the Allied North African campaign when leaked information leads to devastating Allied losses at the Battle of Kasserine. Sheridan meets British intelligence officer Colonel Andrew Campbell, and working together, in spite of Sheridan's inept commanding officer General Weatherby, they are able to turn the tide of battle. Sheridan is promoted to Lieutenant Colonel for his efforts.

In 1943, Sheridan takes part in the Battle of Monte Cassino, and while he disobeys Weatherby's direct orders to confuse German intelligence, Sheridan is able to push the Germans back and open up the road to Rome. Sheridan is promoted to General and meets Kate Garner, an attaché from the American War Office. At a victory party, Campbell remarks that the Germans are not fully defeated yet and that Sheridan is turning into Weatherby now that he has been promoted.

In 1944, Sheridan is in command of US troops landing at Utah beach on D-Day, with Weatherby in command of Omaha beach. Sheridan is able to secure a beach head and defend it against counter-attacks despite Weatherby's inability to secure Sheridan's flank. The operation in Normandy is hampered by inaccurate information given to Campbell by the French resistance, this along with remarks from Kate strain Sheridan and Campbell's friendship.

Later that year, Sheridan is placed in command of forces in Operation Market Garden, and Weatherby is discreetly placed in command of forces "in reserve". After an exchange between Campbell and Kate, Campbell remarks that he cannot offer the same "incentives" as Kate and states that he will request a transfer. Despite deeply inaccurate information on Axis forces in the area, Sheridan is able to keep "The Highway to Hell" open. However the British forces at the final bridge to be secured are forced to surrender, thus ending Market Garden as a failure. Kate leaves for Washington D.C. for a new "promotion" leaving Joe feeling sorry for himself.

Three months later Sheridan and Campbell meet on the Belgian front, and the two make amends, with Sheridan apologizing and telling Campbell that "he was right and that they should have listened to Campbell". With Campbell's help Sheridan manages to hold onto the key city of Bastogne during the Battle of the Buldge. After pushing back the German offensive Sheridan and Campbell interrogate General Von Richtor, a German general who gave Sheridan much trouble in the past. Learning that only the head of the German Intelligence Service, the Abwehr, Admiral Canaris, knew the identity of the spy Prometheus, but the Admiral had been arrested for plotting to kill Hitler.

Returning to the present, Sheridan, Campbell and the undercover agent, Angie, head for Torgau on the Elbe to supposedly meet up with the Soviets. However, the meeting turns into a race to reach the secret weapons research facility in Torgau before the Russians do. In order to avoid a "diplomatic incident", Sheridan receives help from an unlikely ally: General Von Richtor, who also does not want the weapons to end up in Soviet hands. Under the cover of Von Richtor's German troops, Sheridan and his men reach the weapons facility in the Soviet zone and destroy it. In the process Sheridan learns Prometheus's is none other than his former attaché Kate Garner. It is revealed that Kate had not only been giving intel to the Germans on the American forces but that she also had been giving intel to the Soviets on German weapon research. The weapons in question are long range V2 Rockets equipped with nuclear warheads. Despite having destroyed the research facility Sheridan learns that Kate had already moved several rockets to another location.

Sheridan and Campbell prepare to attack Kate's base and destroy the weapons of mass destruction, but are forced to re-think their strategy when Joe receives a warning from Kate that she will use the V2 rockets if they continue to provoke her. Sheridans assures Kate that he won't back off, and Kate simply responds that Sheridan will be "rolled over by the modern world" as communism will be inevitably victorious. Good news arrives when the Soviet Government declares the 8th Guards Army (the branch of the Soviet military Kate was working with) is an extremist. renegade faction and Allied Commander General Eisenhower orders a full scale assault on Kate's base. With the help of some newly developed nuclear equipped Artillery, Sheridan manages to destroy Kate's base, destroying the German nuclear warheads and killing Kate in an atomic blast. At the end, Sheridan expresses his wish to take a vacation and see Europe "without the bullets".

Gameplay

Units

Units have particular advantages. For example, soldiers are relatively weak, but they may hide and lay ambushes in woods and town squares, making them a potent threat, although painfully slow, especially in combat. However, reconnaissance planes and vehicles can spot hiding units, along with ruses like "spying". Tanks and other vehicles are fast and powerful, especially on roads, but they can be easily ambushed near woods or in towns. The number of airplanes the player can produce depends on the number of airfields he or she owns. They can be individually added to the player's selected units to build formations. They are, obviously, threatened by fighters and anti-aircraft artillery. Troop transport planes can also place elite soldiers behind enemy lines.

Factions

The player can only play as the United States but can use the German forces later on in the missions (although units from other factions are sometimes under the player's control in several missions), but other factions are present in the game and can be played online. The factions include the United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Italy, France, and the Soviet Union. Recently, in a new DLC, you can play as Japan. Each possesses a unique balance of strengths and weaknesses, which allows for more dynamic gameplay.

Ruses

R.U.S.E. employs a system of ruses that allow the player to fool or bluff an opponent. The ruses are divided into three different categories: those that reveal information (such as Decryption), those that hide information (such as Radio Silence), and those that allow for fake structures/units, designed to trick the enemy (the Decoy Offensive).

Multiplayer

R.U.S.E. features an online multiplayer component and allows for dedicated servers. It contains both cooperative and competitive multiplayer, and it provides for ranked matches.

On September 22, 2010, Ubisoft announced that measures were being taken to reduce cheating in the game, with the introduction of the Valve Anti-Cheat system (VAC) in the next patch.

Operations

In addition to the main story mode, the player can take part in several "Operations". These are similar to story-mode missions which use specific conditions not present in the other non-story mode section "Battles", for example, limiting the amount of aircraft, tanks, etc. a player can deploy. Some of the operations are historically inspired, whereas others are speculative, for example a 1948 border conflict between the USA and USSR over Berlin.

Development

Features

The game supports multitouch screens and Playstation Move. R.U.S.E. was originally going to use Ubisoft's permanent Internet connection DRM, but this was removed in favor of Steamworks.

References

1. http://ruse.uk.ubi.com/about-ruse/scenario/
2. http://ruse.uk.ubi.com/about-ruse/factions/
3. "Playing Ruse War game", BBC, March 17, 2010.
4. "The Ruses". Retrieved 2010-08-12.
5. "R.U.S.E. Review", MMGN.com, October 5, 2010.
6. "RTS cheaters to be addressed", Gamerzines.com, September 22, 2010.
7. "R.U.S.E. for PlayStation 3". GameRankings. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
8. "R.U.S.E. for Xbox 360". GameRankings. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
9. "R.U.S.E. for PC". GameRankings. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
10. "R.U.S.E. PS3 Reviews". MetaCritic. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
11. "R.U.S.E. X360 Reviews". MetaCritic. Retrieved 2010-09-12.
12. "R.U.S.E. PC Reviews". MetaCritic. Retrieved 2010-09-10.
13. http://www.vg247.com/2010/08/31/edge-gives-ruse-810/
14. "R.U.S.E. PS3 Review". IGN.
15. "R.U.S.E. "Chimera" DLC announced". Retrieved 2011-10-01.

External links

• R.U.S.E official site

• PlayStation 3 games
• PlayStation Move-compatible games
• Real-time strategy video games
• Ubisoft Entertainment games
• Video games developed in France
• Windows games
• World War II video games
• Xbox 360 games
• 2010 video games