European Escalation is a real-time strategy video game developed by Eugen Systems and published by Focus Home Interactive, released on February 23, 2012. It is set in Europe during the Cold War, most specifically in the years 1975-1985.
Wargame's playable factions are the Warsaw Pact, which is subdivided into the Soviet Union, Communist Poland, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia ; and NATO, which is subdivided into the United States of America, United Kingdom, France and West Germany. Players can choose various units from the four subfactions of the side they are playing on, unlocking new units or improved variants through game progression. In all, there are 361 historical units recreated in Wargame.
Each country has its own arsenal of units, reflecting their military doctrine.
NATO
USA: America is NATO's Jack of all trades. They may not have the strongest armour, nor the most precise artillery or best air defense, but they have no obvious shortcomings unlike some of their more specialized allies or enemies. Their helicopter branch is generally superior to that of its NATO allies.
France: France's combat doctrines were forged in the constant colonial wars of the 1950s and 1960s, giving priority to light units. French vehicles are both accurate and fast, but very fragile. They are at their best performing fast strikes, ambushes and hit-and-run tactics, but aren't strong in head-on engagements.
United Kingdom: British tanks are opposites of the French ones: they are heavily armoured and armed, but very slow, and are at their best in a defensive situation. To contrast with this, their infantry benefit from fast troop transports and support vehicles.
West Germany: Traditionally equipped with downgraded US Army vehicles, Germany has now caught up with its allies at the beginning of the 1970s. Fielding modern vehicles of its own, they are usually very efficient but come at a price. Their Panzergrenadiers are among the most heavily armed infantry units.
Warsaw Pact
Soviet Union: Just like its American counterpart, the Soviet army has no obvious shortcomings, but it relies mostly on its tank formations and vast array of artillery units to break the enemy front. USSR also use heavily armed and armored helicopter units.
Poland: Poland's equipment is mostly borrowed from the USSR arsenals, but counts more on its elite infantry units than its armored formations. Equipped with the fastest troop transports available in the Warsaw Pact, they are very mobile and are able to attack or redeploy with little notice.
Czechoslovakia: But for the tanks and helicopters, the Czechoslovakian army had its own arrays of vehicles, based on its national military industry. With excellent artillery and air defense units, and among the best special forces, it is perfect to support other players.
East Germany: Like Poland, East Germany is mostly using Soviet equipment. Relying mostly on heavy infantry formations, it is also the keeper of most the Cold War's heated border, the Iron Curtain. Therefore, East Germany had developed a lot of dedicated recon and intelligence gathering units.
