Anomaly Warzone Earth – They See Me Rollin, They Hatin

Game Info

Anomaly Warzone Earth flips the almost worn out tower defense model on it’s head and allows you to take control of the forces destroying the towers onscreen.

Two large pieces of an alien space craft have slammed into Baghdad and Tokyo. Following the event, two enormous energy domes appeared, hiding the portions of the alien space craft from the outside world. These energy domes are referred to as the “Anomalies.” That’s basically all you need to know of the story of AWE. Not that it’s terrible, but with a quick and intense tower offense game, story is not what you cam for in the first place.

The first mission had me breaching the energy field of the anomaly in Baghdad and then the fun started. Inside these anomalies is where my battles took place. Ad I led a convoy of military vehicles through the streets of Baghdad and Tokyo alien towers were setup around each section of the city and varied in attacks and mechanics.

I commanded the vehicles by bringing up a menu, then selecting my route through the city, which I could change at any time. This is where much of your strategy for AWE lies. You’ll need to outflank many of the alien towers, as a head on battle will leave you convoy in rubble. I was able to purchase more units by driving by pick ups that would grant me with more cash. My unit options ranged from tanks to shield generators and walking missile launchers, which I was able to upgrade. The length of your convoy is limited to six total units at a time, but you’ll also configure the order in which your units travel in the convoy.

You control a single person in an “Elite Battle Suit” (the Green Ranger.) You control this person (Tommy) and use him to pick up items that are dropped off by passing aircraft. Basically every time you destroy some towers or meet an objective, you’ll be reinforced with these drop-offs. These items include smoke screens, to screen out an area to provide your convoy with cover, to the ability to create an area that repairs your units as they pass through. Some sections of the game can become pretty intense, forcing you to run back and forth using different items in conjunction with one another.

When you’re in the height of the action, changing your route to get the advantage on the larger towers, collecting and using your items, with explosions from every side, Anomaly Warzone Earth is freaking blast. The action may get to a frantic pace at times, but the simple controls and solid gameplay aim to please.