Act of War: Direct Action

About

"Act of War: Direct Action" is a real-time strategy game centered around a suspenseful tale of global military conflict and terrorism. As commander of Task Force TALON, you must lead counterterrorist forces in battles against a shadowy Consortium, using modern military units and tactics. With high-end cinematic and video effects, the game offers an intense and immersive experience, both in single-player and multiplayer modes for up to eight players. The game's story and setting are inspired by real-world headlines and threats.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 476 reviews

story42 positive mentions

optimization4 negative mentions

A nostalgic throwback to classic RTS games with cheesy live-action cutscenes that many players love.
Offers a unique gameplay mechanic of capturing enemy units for resources, adding depth to strategy.
Despite its age, the game still provides an engaging campaign and solid gameplay that many fans of the genre appreciate.

The game struggles to run on modern systems, with many players experiencing crashes and technical issues.
The AI pathfinding is frustrating, leading to awkward unit movements and gameplay challenges.
Multiplayer functionality is essentially non-existent, limiting replayability for those seeking competitive play.

story
148 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
69%
3%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its engaging campaign and cinematic cutscenes featuring live actors, while others criticize the plot for being poorly written and lacking coherence. Set in a near-future military conflict, the narrative attempts a serious tone reminiscent of Tom Clancy's style, but often falls into cheesy territory, leading to a polarized reception. Overall, while the missions are entertaining and well-structured, the quality of the story and acting detracts from the overall experience for many players.
- “The campaign is decently long, and the story at least holds enough interest to make it a solid title, with lots of replay potential.”
- “It tells a thrilling story of power, politics, and terror of a possible near future due to the energy crisis.”
- “The story and characters are set in a well-made semi-futuristic military sci-fi theme with an interesting cast and a simple but effective plot that's better and more interesting than most RTS stories, especially if you're a fan of Tom Clancy's style writing.”
- “The story falls flat since instead of trying to be cheesy like Red Alert or Generals, it tries to be serious so much you can see Tom Clancy blush.”
- “Also, even that aside - which, whoof, good luck with that if you care about anything resembling sustainability - the plot is delivered by actors fresh off the back page of Craigslist in some of the most cringe-worthy and poorly written FMV imaginable.”
- “The story is pretty bad, but this is an RTS, not an RPG; the acting from the various cutscene actors was actually terrible.”
gameplay
68 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
26%
69%
4%
The gameplay is characterized as an engaging blend of casual and hardcore real-time strategy elements, featuring base-building, unit deployment, and unique mechanics like garrisoning troops and resource management through finite sources. While it draws inspiration from classic titles like Command & Conquer, it lacks standout features that differentiate it from its peers, though it offers solid mechanics and enjoyable challenges. Overall, players appreciate the ambition behind the game, despite some minor flaws and a reliance on familiar gameplay tropes.
- “Excellent real-time strategy gameplay.”
- “Gameplay is a great mix of casual and hardcore RTS with the usual base building and unit deployment, except resources aren't found in deposits; instead, they are earned either from POWs or finite oil fields/banks/ammo bunkers.”
- “Just solid gameplay.”
- “I can't even get into gameplay at all!”
- “One minor flaw (gameplay loophole) is the game requires the player to clear out objectives in required sequence.”
- “That, combined with anti-tactical weaponry, which can deny your tactical super weapons, may seriously discourage aggression and create stale gameplay.”
graphics
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
58%
6%
The graphics of the game are generally considered dated but still acceptable for its 2005 release, with many reviewers noting that they hold up surprisingly well compared to contemporary titles. While some animations and resolutions may not meet modern standards, the overall detail and unit interactions are praised, making it visually appealing for its era. Users recommend using patches or specific settings to enhance performance on modern systems, but overall, the graphics are deemed solid and serviceable for an RTS game of its age.
- “Amazing story, visuals that hold up surprisingly well for a 2005 game, and arguably the most uniquely balanced and varied factions, each with clearly different playstyles and unit variety.”
- “Its graphics are superb even by modern standards, and the realistic US Army faction makes Act of War what many gamers wished CnC: Generals had been.”
- “The graphics are pretty solid for a 2005 game.”
- “Graphics are dated and some animations too, but it still has great detail with unit interactions, building functions, battlefield scarring, and no unit limit help make it still impressive.”
- “A heads up, it is old; the graphics are not anything you'll be writing home about.”
- “Graphics are what you'd expect for a game this old.”
music
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
65%
15%
The music in the game is largely described as forgettable and repetitive, with some reviewers likening it to overblown, mid-2000s orchestral styles reminiscent of Hans Zimmer. While a few found the soundtrack enjoyable, many criticized its limited variety and the dullness of the pause menu music, leading to an overall mixed reception.
- “Music is unobtrusive.”
- “Audio is passable with mostly similar unit dialogue and the soundtrack is good but limited.”
- “Really fun with a great soundtrack.”
- “The soundtrack is boring and forgettable, though.”
- “The music is the most overblown, pseudo-orchestral, mid-2000's 'oh my god it's Jason Bourne' style Hans Zimmer ripoff you can imagine.”
- “The pause menu music renders me genuinely suicidal from how utterly repetitive it is.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game's optimization is generally acceptable, but it suffers from a lack of comprehensive settings options, including no widescreen support. Additionally, players report significant stuttering and lag, which detracts from the overall experience, compounded by subpar performances from the real actors featured in the game.
- “The game optimization is alright, but the settings department is barebones and doesn't have widescreen support.”
- “Too much stuttering and lagging.”
- “The game optimization is alright, but the settings department is barebones and doesn't have widescreen support.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is described as enjoyable but suffers from significant stability issues, particularly on Windows 10, with multiple users reporting bugs that detract from the experience. Overall, the consensus suggests that potential buyers should be cautious due to these stability concerns.
- “A fun little RTS with FMV cutscenes from the 2000s, but a little buggy on my Windows 10 machine.”
- “Bug-ridden, do not buy.”
- “Bug-ridden, do not buy.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is criticized for its overly serious tone, which some players feel detracts from the overall experience, creating a negative ambiance.
- “Everything tries to be serious, but the overall package gives off a bad tone and atmosphere.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is largely viewed as frustrating and monotonous, with many players feeling it lacks originality and often feels like a tedious chore rather than an engaging experience.
- “The grinding feels like a never-ending chore, making the game more of a slog than an enjoyable experience.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding takes away from the overall enjoyment, turning what could be exciting into a tedious task.”
- “I found myself losing interest quickly due to the excessive grinding required to progress.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's incorporation of Marvel Comics' imaginary units, particularly s.h.i.e.l.d., enhances its replayability, especially with the resurgence of interest from recent movies and TV series. This nostalgic connection allows players to revisit the game with a fresh perspective, even 15 years post-release.
- “Some of the imaginary units (S.H.I.E.L.D.) were taken from Marvel Comics, which gives the game a surprising replay value 15 years after its original release, especially with the recent movies and TV series based on Marvel Comics.”