Act of War: Direct Action ships

Atari's near-future RTS is now raging on PCs; technothriller includes a suspenseful story from author Dale Brown.

Atari today announced that it has shipped Act of War: Direct Action for the PC. The real-time strategy game is the first from French game developer Eugen Systems.

The plot of the game was penned by New York Times best-selling author Dale Brown, and it depicts a near future wrought with terrorism and corruption on a global scale. After an attack on San Francisco, the government mobilizes its military to quell further attacks.

As leader of the elite Task Force Talon, the game's protagonist realizes something is amiss and soon discovers the frightening fact that these terrorist attacks were carried out by mercenaries hired to cause distractions on the part of a greater evil, the "Consortium." This international conglomerate of corporations is planning to monopolize the earth's resources by any means necessary.

The game will feature a campaign mode that contains more than an hour of live footage, quick skirmish modes for instant action, and multiplayer modes that let gamers play as one of three factions. Generals will have to not only manage their armies, but also their resources and finances in battles that take place on American soil and in other hotspots, such as Egypt and Russia.

Act of War: Direct Action is rated "T" for Teen and retails for $49.99. For more information on the game, report to GameSpot's previous coverage, or sample the demo at GameSpot DLX.

By Tim Surette -- GameSpot