SpawnPoint

Like its predecessors, Shock Force isn't a large-scale wargame where you'll command hundreds of units over a vast distance. This is very much a tactical-level wargame, focused on platoon and company-level combat. Battles are designed to last 30 minutes in real time, and they generally deal with very narrow objectives. The battles that we played involved conducting a patrol through a very dangerous neighborhood with a platoon (four, in total) of Stryker combat vehicles and their mounted infantry, as well as commanding two platoons of M1 tanks in a mission to locate and destroy armored forces.

There are two ways to play Shock Force: real time and turn based. The former is just how it sounds, as the game continues to play while you issue orders. The turn-based mode pauses the game at one-minute intervals, which lets you issue commands to your units. However, once you've inputted all of your moves, the game unfolds in real time for one minute, letting you watch the consequences of your decisions. After the minute has elapsed, the game pauses again. You can watch a replay of the action and review what went on, or you can skip ahead to the commands section and modify existing orders or issue new ones based on the situation on the ground.