Why You Should Be Excited for End of Nations

End of Nations has been causing more than a few heads to turn over the past few weeks, an MMORTS that’s guaranteed to have you chewing your nails in suspense and using as much of that natural head-based CPU as you can trying to outfox your opponents. Garnering over 10 post-E3 awards as one of the most exciting games shown at this year’s convention, End of Nations is definitely the critics’ choice when it comes to massively multiplayer strategy games this year. You only need to take a look at a few screenshots or check out a trailer to see why. In case you can’t get enough, we’ve put together a list of some of our favourite features and, by the end of the article; you’ll be refreshing your inbox in the hope that a beta invite might just pop-up.

1 - It’s an actual RTS

To somebody who doesn’t know MMOs, this might seem like an odd statement. “How is it different from any of the other MMORTS games on the market?” you might ask. “Aren’t they RTS games?” In the strictest sense, all MMORTS games belong to the same genre as End of Nations but, really, they’re in a completely different league. For the most part you spend your time waiting: waiting for resources to accrue, waiting for the battle to take place and then waiting as your soldiers return. Sometimes you’ll click something and watch an animation, but for the most part you’re outside of the major decisions and your role in the game is very passive. The entire genre, with a few exceptions, is like somebody looked at Age of Empires and decided to take out anything that at all resembled entertainment, and then they added a Facebook ‘like’ button at the top of the page and hit publish.

On the other hand, End of Nations is actually an RTS. There are units on the battlefield which you actually control, and enemy units which you can actually see blow up.  This alone sets it apart from the crowd because it doesn’t make you want to scratch out your own eyes for entertainment. If that wasn’t enough, and a lack of self-mutilation as a precursor to fun probably should be enough, then it actually looks like a decent RTS, which is even better.

2 - The Graphics look Stunning

I hate to be the sort of person that suggests a game based on graphics alone (although it’s so easy to fall into the trap of loving an art style, rather than a game) but End of Nations really does look fantastic. The battles you fight are colourful, varied and full of life, an impressive feat when you consider that it’s a massively multiplayer game and the server (and your computer) has to process the data of all the players in the match. From what I’ve read online, you’ll need a relatively powerful computer to get it on its highest settings but the art design really is nice to look at anyway. Even without that absolute polish, you’ll probably still be quite happy with what you’re seeing. More than that though, units are varied and enjoyable to look at as well. It all ties together in one beautiful, action-packed package.

3 - Massively Multiplayer

If it wasn’t enough that you’d be able to outsmart another person over the internet, End of Nations allows you to humiliate dozens of your friends in the same game at the same time. Now, granted, humiliation of everybody you know requires a certain amount of skill and isn’t guaranteed, but the fact that you’ll be able to give it a try is, indeed, a merit for the game. Supporting 56 players and the ability to play as either a lone wolf or as part of a team, there’s plenty of scope for replayability and no two games are ever going to be the same. More than this actually makes a mark on the world by choosing a side and battling for domination, checking out your nation’s territory on the world map between battles. You’ll never feel so important, or as much part of a global team, as you will in End of Nations.

4 - It’s Free-to-Play

There’s no better feeling than playing a game you love and knowing that you’ve not had to pay a penny to get into it. Supporting a developer, paying for cosmetic upgrades and the like, is so much easier when you know you love a game that they’ve given you for free and built a game knowing they wanted anybody to be able to play it. It also destroys any sort of risk involved in making the purchase. “It’s probably going to be good,” you’ve probably said countless times before while browsing on Steam or standing in a game shop, “but is it worth my hard-earned money?” Without the risk, you can be part of the mission for global domination in minutes and you needn’t worry about your credit card bill at the end of the month.

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5 - It’s going to be Huge

I’ve played MMOs before that only have 8 people on a server, so to see the overwhelming response to End of Nations, both in their forums and on YouTube and other social sites, is very exciting. There are thousands of people currently talking about End of Nations and there’s no reason you shouldn’t be one of them. The important thing to remember is that you’re not going to struggle to get into a match any time soon, but every second you hesitate your opponents are gaining experience.  A popular MMO means a well-supported MMO, and End of Nations is going to be hugely popular. Just be sure to set yourself up with a few snacks, you could be sitting at the computer for quite some time.

Conclusion

End of Nations really does excite me and I hope you’re excited as well. While I can’t imagine I’ll ever be very good at it, it’s a fun game to play and, I’m sure you’ll agree, it’s only going to get more enjoyable as the developers squash out bugs they’ve found during the beta. The RTS genre has never been for everybody, for some it’s too hard or too long-winded, but for the entry fee you probably owe it to yourself to see what you can accomplish. Besides, there’s never been an MMO like it and maybe, just maybe, you’ll manage to make your mark.

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M. Growcott