Midway has announced that the RTS, Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War, has gone gold and should be in stores June 12th. You can check out a demo of the game at FileShack.

RISE & FALL: CIVILIZATIONS AT WAR is the first real–time strategy game to place players directly in the heart of combat as a heroic general fighting side–by–side with their troops. Players can completely command one of the four mightiest empires of the ancient world as in a traditional RTS, but can also use RISE & FALL’s innovative Hero Command to enter the battlefield as one of history’s eight greatest heroes, controlling the likes of Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Cleopatra and more, as they slash through the enemy ranks to turn the tide of battle.

Actually, as far as I know, Sacrifice, a RTS from Shiny Entertainment, was the first to put you in the shoes of the leader while you commanded your troops.