Featuring a United States ripped apart by a divided electorate and a spot of Russian sabotage, Shattered Union offers a timely and gripping backdrop for strategic turn-based battles, where North America is carved into six regional factions locked in bloody civil war. But while the games premise is a fascinating take on politics across the pond, the action itself is deeply flawed.
Although the battles are fast, beautifully-designed and easy for strategy novices to pick up and play in the mould of Nintendos sublime Advance Wars series the intelligence of your computer-controlled rivals is disappointing, enemy generals often opting to attack weaker forces rather than target the biggest threats in your arsenal. The lack of intelligence you have on enemy forces also makes the game feel dated especially given the wealth of reconnaissance data in modern combat and the fact that you cant forge uneasy alliances with opposing factions also means Shattered Union lacks the depth most armchair generals demand.