I suppose I should groan at this point; another World War II game - boo, hiss, etc. - but I won't, because I'm one of those crazy people who actually doesn't mind playing a game set in this historic time period - and hey, nowadays it's starting to make a pleasant change from fighting generic terrorists through a nondescript Middle Eastern country or protecting the Earth from an alien invasion. Sure, it's not that much of a difference, but this is a period of our history that I really can't learn enough about and virtually participate in too often. One thing that I don't like however are those developers that just don't put in the effort where it's needed, who go through the time consuming task of recreating every tank, uniform and battle as authentically as they can and then provide a distinctly middle of the road gaming experience - and you don't have to look far in the strategy genre to find plenty of mediocre WWII games. Order of War really doesn't want to be one of those games and is hoping that its unique defining point - its massive scale - will be enough to set it apart from the crowd.

It's strange to think that this is a new approach to WWII RTS gaming, where so often you are only ever focused upon the small, close quarter battles of squads of troops and where things such as artillery support and tanks are rare luxuries. Having the control of huge columns of Shermans or Panzers as they roll through the war torn countryside of Europe somehow manages to feel new and exciting, and if there's one thing that Order of War clearly does well, it's the recreation of the immenseness of war. It's wise not to expect a World War II flavoured version of the Total War series; although it was clearly an inspiration in some areas, this isn't a game that's aiming to be nearly as complex - so don't expect to be given the opportunity to rewrite history or decide the outcome of the entire war.

Instead, expect something more along the lines of 2007's excellent strategy highlight, World in Conflict, from which Wargaming.net have clearly gained the most influence. It seems obvious that World in Conflict is a big source of inspiration for Order of War, as it shares not just a familiar interface but also the extensive fire support options that can be called upon and the almost constant, unending pace of the battles. The similarities are so close that you could almost mistake this for an unofficial sequel (or more accurately prequel), but having a WWII version of World in Conflict is no bad thing, so long as Wargaming.net plunder the right elements that made Conflict so hugely enjoyable.

At the very least, they've managed to craft a strategy game that if not necessarily new is distinctly different from the countless others. Here there is no such thing as an individual; units are grouped into squads, so ordering a tank from the reinforcements tab doesn't just provide you with a single tank - it provides you with one squad of several. This is the same for every unit in the game, meaning that battles are massive encounters featuring a cast of potentially hundreds - and it's quite a sight when a huge wave of tanks is slowly rumbling towards an enemy position, although one that you'll very rarely get a chance to be in awe of, as no matter how many units you get to command, the enemy almost certainly has more.

Inevitably this means that battles unfold on a grand scale, which can lead to some memorable moments. There was one such incident during the preview version I played where I was tasked with leading a substantial force of American troops to defend a hill just as it was about to be attacked by the Germans. The resulting melee involved a huge tank battle as my infantry, tanks and artillery tried to soften up the approaching enemy tanks before they could do some serious damage, while my anti-air defences worked overtime shooting down enemy aircraft that rather cheekily attempted to deal a killing blow - and while all of this was going on, another battle in the distance waged on as a second hill, defended by my allies, sustained a similar assault. It's instances like this that makes Order of War one of the few RTS games that really manages to capture the frighteningly massive scale of some the battles fought during the Second World War.

However, my time during the preview also highlighted some concerns, not the least of which is the seeming lack of opportunity open to practicing much tactical decision making; all too often, I found it easy to just group up as many units together as I could and throw them at the enemy to eventually overwhelm them. Also, while the rewards system at the end of each mission (you get points for kills and completing objectives, which you can spend on upgrades) does punish you for losing too many units, when the enemy practices the same strategy then there's really very little else you can do but respond in kind. There also needs to be a substantial facelift to the graphics; terrain and vehicle models boast an impressive amount of detail, but the smoke and explosion effects are largely unimpressive, which could be a problem for a game that has more explosions than the entire back catalogue of Michael Bay movies.

Clearly there is work still to be done, but if Wargaming.net can pull out all of the stops between now and the expected release date (sometime in September), to add a little more strategic depth and polish up the environments and explosions, Order of War could very well end up being one of the strategy gaming highlights of the winter months, a World War II game that you actually might want to go out of your way to play.

Previewed by Kieron Giacopazzi for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).