14 DAY TRIAL // 
I was afraid that Atari's financial problems would postpone (or worse) the release of Eugene's expansion pack for Act of War. My fears were dispelled when the demo version was out, but only to some degree. It was not the first title, nor the last to suffer greatly from an early rush due to the publisher's financial issues.
Maybe I am under the influence of some unfortunate events of the past (Heroes IV), but it seems to me that High Treason steams its boat in a sensibly different direction from what was expected from a sequel.
Anyway, the game design sensibly evolved into better, but left some of its vital elements untended to heavily drag its gameplay value away from the true Direct Action feeling. But before we get to that, let's take a look at what's new.
Extras
Several changes and additions have been made to the game. One of them is a new group of units, called "unofficial mercenaries" which is shared by all factions. Their high price but unrestricted deployment makes them an interesting strategic option. Although their apparition on the battlefield occurs only at times, they generally put - even if it is psychological - some sensible pressure on players in multiplayer games (in Campaign mode being seemingly useless). A smart drop near the opposing HQ may dramatically change the tides of war. However, a scout helicopter must be sent before the mercenary drop, and depending on the distance between their main structure and their destination, there is a time delay. If the reconnaissance helicopter is found in time and destroyed, the drop is cancelled.
Another addition - which has made some more changes, as a consequence - is the implementation of naval units. Unfortunately, they are available for several campaign missions and online play only. The consequence is the addition of a new, extremely zoomed out camera view. I am sure you will be as thrilled as I was at the overwhelming sight of the naval forces. Although a modest assortment of classes (a corvette, a destroyer, an aircraft carrier, a stealth boat and a nuclear submarine), Eugene's endeavor towards the preservation of size ratios of the real life ships dismisses this shortcoming (if it was in the first place, as I do not see how a Iowa class battleship would have fit in).
As a response to the ships' impressive line of sight and range of fire, some of the artillery units (MLRS for instance) were given a range buff, too (read: huge range increment, similar to Sudden Strike or Blitzkrieg). Therefore, multiplayer skirmishes have just become even more disputed than before. Heavy artillery units (set on auto-fire) in combination with a fast scout will bring hell and worse over Bravo HQ. To further support such tactics, the active range of heavy artillery units has been rewarded with a clearly visible highlight on the minimap.
Concept
As I have mentioned before, the High Treason expansion pack changes only slightly the core design of the game. However, some additions (besides the aforementioned) such as some SF, "uber" Task Force Talon infantry with excellent stats against any type of unit gave me the feeling of fun spoiling. Throughout my High Treason adventure, many of the campaign missions had been easily undertaken thanks to the presence of these multipurpose units.
The good news is that they are balanced by the lack of heavy artillery amidst TFT's army. Well, only if we do not take into consideration the Drone Tanks. Although, I do not feel prepared to attend some of the game's balance issues, only time and many multiplayer games will reveal them.
On the other hand, the AI still has godly awareness of your presence, and you will be certainly annoyed by its pinpoint accurate offensives. Moreover, the Starcraft-like AI strategy is - once again - at its finest: scores of units assembling a wide range of choice will tirelessly storm your base coordinates only to be easily fended by a well organized defense line. And, as expected, the AI's resource cashes never dry.
Story
The so sloppy that felt good, real-world cut-scenes from Direct Action were dumped only to be replaced with in-game engine ones. To one's delight, the voice actors are the same and they keep doing the fine job they got us used to.
The script isn't however as exhilarating as it once was, being artificially extended to backup a seemingly endless campaign. It is indeed good news to experience a twice as long campaign than the prequel. But the plot stubbornly refused to impress me as it once had.
In short, the First Man of the United States is assassinated as the Task Force Talon is delayed in its attempt to prevent this tragic event. The elite team finds itself fighting against yet another global conspiracy. Only this time, its efforts to reveal the perpetrator are squandered by the accusation of high treason. Furthermore, the shadowy corporation behind the scenes manages to evade TFT's grasp for long enough to prevent it clear its stained reputation.
In short, the World peace is in your hands once again, only this time you will find new allies at your side. As it was requested, throughout the campaign, you will be given several times the command over the Consortium armies.
Gameplay
If you played Act of War for pleasure in your spare time, note that the High Treason campaign is a relentless grind exclusively designed for its veterans. Probably to satisfy both the casual and vet players, the game features a "campaign select" option. Therefore, those of you eager to see the warships but unwilling to dash their heads against the monitor screen throughout dozen of warlord-addressed missions have nothing else to do but click above the campaign chapter of their choice. What else is there to say? A smart decision from Eugene Systems.
The campaigns' leitmotif is a severe shortage of HQ and credit support. The focus is set on preserving as much as you can of whatever you have at your disposal. In accordance to the new battlefield situation, the units will go through an increased range of XP levels, recovering their HP faster at higher levels.
In addition, support units (Medevacs and Repair units) help damaged units regenerate their HP only for a limited time before entering a cooling stasis.
Naval battles will put some pepper on the overall game feeling only to ruin your day thanks to their land-like pathfinding. So you should better prepare yourselves having a hard time pulling on of your destroyers from its cozy inland parking spot.
To sum up: a wider campaign span, more disputed scenarios, more units? and some more minor bugs and grounds of balance disputes.
Video & Sound
The graphic engine has been slightly modified to accommodate the pixel shader technology. This time, the urban jungle has been traded with the Amazonian one, showcasing an entirely new tactical approach of some of the missions.
For instance, and excess of Armor units will force you raze every tree in your path to prevent ambushes and enhance line of sight (which is again anemic for the most of ground units). In this sense, an excess of infantry will encourage the opposite, the new infantry weapons cutting through armor as if it was grease.
The game's stained reputation in its disastrous attempts of simulating warships at sea (mind Battle for the Middle Earth or Age of Empires 3) has been saved by the splendor you will encounter in this - to some extent - kickass expansion (only half of it, if we take into consideration the cheap AI design).
Sadly, there are also some clumsy unit/map object proportion ratios. You will encounter pickup trucks the size of your Abraam M1's. Personally, I have instantly caught "game sickness" as soon as I met these old acquaintances.
The voice acting and sound themes are undoubtedly perfectly fitted for the game's techno-thriller theme (read: the same). And this probably disperses any - otherwise founded - fears you had about Act of War's expansion.
Conclusion
I guess High Treason is as good as it gets. Again, it shines with great intensity for a traditional RTS (of C&C design) game. And I find it is right for me to assert that it's far better than any game of its kind. You will love it, hug it and ultimately curse some of its shortcomings. Ultimately, a longer development stage would have brought it close to perfection. And the French game studio was probably fresh out of such royalties.
