Title: Ground Control II: Operation Exodus
Genre: Real-time Strategy
Date Released: May, 2004
Date Reviewed: September 03, 2004
Publisher: Sierra
Developer: Massive Entertainment
I've been playing RTS games since the good old times of Warcraft and Dune, and although the graphics have evolved immensely, gameplay has very rarely deviated from the standard process. Most RTS games revolve around harvesting, and amassing units until you can completely overwhelm the enemy in sheer numbers. Simply put, Ground Control II is one of the best RTS games I have ever played, because it is devoid of all such nuances that plague the standard RTS gameplay. In the game, there are no resources, no building bases, no rushing; none of the things that you would find in other conventional games. In fact, the gameplay is all about strategy, and in order to beat the levels, units have to be used effectively. I would gladly recommend this underdog title, for all gamers, especially those into RTS'.
Story:
The story is pretty standard, the Terrans are attacking other human space colonies and trying to take them over (yet again), and playing as the NSA, you have to defend your colonies from hegemony attacks. As you progress, the twists and turns introduce an alien species. I found that the alien aspect was well crafted, and played nicely into the colonial war between the humans. Further along into the story, a new race is discovered, but they do not play a role in this particular game. Cinematics, both in-game and FMVs, help move the story along greatly.
Gameplay:
Probably the most enticing aspect of this game is the way that it plays. As stated above, there are no conventional RTS strategies in this game. You are never required to harvest resources, you have no buildings to build; as all units are called from the drop-ship, and you can never mass enough units to simply overwhelm the enemy by force. All in all, there are only roughly 15 unit-types per side, and each have primary and secondary abilities (one activated at any given time). While this may sound a little stupid at first, it really is something to be played first-hand. The missions grow in difficulty exponentially (to the point where I had to use a FAQ in a couple of the alien missions), but the tutorials give the player a good feel for the game. As stated above, strategy in this game must be thought out carefully, and defense-only gameplay is absolutely not an option. Simple ideas like forest and building bonuses (where infantry get increased defense when stationed at the said locations) can really make or break an attack. And like Rise of Nations, the amount of land you control depends on the number of Landing Zones(LZ), and Victory Locations(VL) that you hold. With enemy units constantly pounding your VL's across the front, it takes skill to be able to maintain the current positions and mount attacks on enemy fortifications at the same time. In real life, commanders are not expected to stall until enough resources are allocated, and neither are you in GCII. You start each mission with a specified amount of AP, which you can use to call down reinforcements. The AP grows (0/25/50/75/100%, inversly proportional) depending on the number of units currently under your command, thus, minimizing the ability to mass units and rush enemies. Since each unit has two abilities, you are forced to use each unit wisely (ie. two artillery bombarding entrance, two tanks defensive mode, one combat engineer fixing, and a couple snipers in defense, while another group has two tanks offensive, one engineer to accompany, and rocket-launchers to hold off air units). It is simply too hard to explain what it feels like to lose all your locations except for the LZ, and still be able to come back and slowly take back the map. That said, this game is TOUGH, and LONG, so patience is required.
Atmosphere:
Graphics and sound do a wonderful job of keeping the battlefield experience realistic. It even has a zoom feature such that you can zoom right to the ground and watch the action unfold. Voice actors are interesting, especially Sergeant Rho, but the Captain sounds like a weak Aussie. Other than that, the game does look and feel polished enough such that nothing in-game will pull you out. Battles are absolutely amazing. Period.
Characters:
As stated earlier, the most interesting character is probably Rho, with his wacky quotes, and the Major who like to give them "sum'of'b**tches all root canals!" All were believably played, with the exception of the voice of Captain Angelus (Sp?), which (no offence), but sounds like he's on a picnic, instead of on the battlefield. Not much depth in the bunch, but as to be expected from a RTS.
Controls:
Good controls, it's an RTS, so it plays pretty much the same as Warcraft and such. You will probably have to use the keyboard if you want to finish the later missions (for those that rely solely on the mouse). Hoever, there were some things I really did not like, including:
- The camera: The camera was cool when zooming and such (360 deg. of freedom), but it was trying to be "smart"; in that it kept on trying to follow the elevation of the terrain. This was neat when sitting on top of a mountain, being able to look into the horizon and all, but when you hit a valley, and your units are fighting above, the camera becomes quite useless.
- The multi-unit-selection: Another case of being too "smart", in that it always selects all the units of the same type when they are group with other units and clicked from the center box. You won't understand what I just said until you go in game, and try to remove an infantry from a selection of many unit types.
Graphics:
Absolutely wonderful, in fact, the screen shots you see don't do the game justice. The game played nice even on my slow machine with most of the details turned down. One nit-pick is that when zoomed out (to see the battle), the units look too much alike (especially infantry), and it becomes difficult to see which units are going where. Never-the-less, the game is a feast for the eyes.
Audio:
Music is dramatic, and fits the game very well, never breaking the experience. But in battle, the music playing is usually the least of your worries. Voice acting is top-notch, but voice-character syncing is a little off (may be problem with my system though).
Final thoughts:
After playing the RTS' for so long, it is easy to forget why they are so fun to play. Ground Control II is seriously one of the better single player experiences I've had playing a game of this genre. The game borderlines on incredibly hard, and will require patience to see it through. The amazing graphics, and intense atmosphere, bundled with its unique gameplay, makes this one of the best games this year. If you are a fan of RTS games, then you owe it to yourself to try this game!
Score: 89% ('Cause this prime number rocks!)
Screens: (Yes, i know they are a little small)
[Spoilers-drag mouse over to view]:
- 1) Snipers are VERY dangerous, and a pack of them can usually take out a few hoverdynes before they are discovered.
- 2) NEVER mass only one type of unit, no matter how great you think it is (see above ^). The computer will always meet your forces with a variety of specialized units.
- 3) The computer's artillery is a serious pain-in-the-ass, so taking them out should be a priority if you can.
- 4) FINALLY: A good defense is a good offense, always leave troops to guard Victory Locations, or you will end up taking them OVER and OVER again!