Supreme Commander

"Tech Rush, Early Combat, Steady Fighting, It's your call."

I want to start off by saying that this game is extremely fun, and is good for anyone wanting a game that needs a little bit of thinking. It's an RTS, or Real Time Strategy, meaning you build soldiers, and fight. I'm sure you knew that though. But what you may not know is the specifics about the game. That is what you're here for, right? Also, know that everything I write is my own opinion. You may disagree, that's fine, but know that I am saying everything from my paradigm.

Gameplay: 9.
First, I want to point out that this game has some things in it that push the benchmark for RTS games. I love the hotkeys; the control they give you is unmatched. Each of the three different factions (UEF, Aeon, and Cybrons) have their own strong and weak points, and learning to exploit your strength and their weakness is part of the fun. What is more fun, however, is seeing that your enemy didn't put anti-air in the back of their base. At this point, you send in small ships to annoy the AA, and your bombers to nail them... I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's hit each some specific points, shall we?

Diversity of Teams: 8.5
Each team has their own strong and weak points. I prefer the UEF, because of their Air Force, and Navy. The Aeon, in my opinion, are much harder to play, meaning that they need a higher level of concentration, and more micromangement. The Cybrans seem the most beginner friendly, because some friends I've shown this game to play best as Cybrans. In total, this game has some good difference of teams, but maybe could be bumped up a bit.

Hotkeys: 8.
I like them. Pressing "Shift" to set waypoints is a great system, and then most others are their usual first letter. The hotkeys here, although similar to most other games, work just fine.

Graphics: 7.5
It is one thing to play a game like Company of Heroes, and see the sweat on your soldiers faces, but in a game without human soldiers, you need to set your standards lower, right? I think not. Compromise is necesary. Which they did well here. This game doesn't use tight city maps, but wide fields, islands, or any other terrain immaginable (almost). The one thing I liked the most is the trees. If you zoom in, you can see almost every leaf. On max settings. The machines look o.k. at a distance, but up close, they are a rough. The water is a plus, however, because one can see it shimmer and flow. I think a 7.5 does the graphics justice; the could be a bit better, yet I understand that graphics don't make or break a game.

Story: 8.
For each faction, there is a campaign. They do not intertwine with each other, meaning if the UEF took a planet, the Aeon don't comment about it. Some are harder than others because of the thought required for the team (Aeon), or because the mission itself is hard (UEF). I won't say anything else though. An 8 summerizes the story in this game.

Control: 8
It's left click select/cancel, right click move. Command and conquer has left click doing everything, with right canceling. If there is one thing to be said, playing one after the other isn't good. "Come on, can't you guys agree on one thing?"

Replayability: 9.
"Good, you beat the Aeon!" I tell me friend, after he completed a skirmish. "Now try setting it on medium". You finally beat that team on that map, and you're happy. The next time you sit to play (or stand, if that is your preference,) you find a new map, and decide the UEF should get beaten here. So you eventually beat them there, and decide the Aeon need to lose here. The cycle goes on, and on, and on. It is fun. Eventually, it might get boring, but I wouldn't know, it hasn't yet.

So, there you are. Supreme Commander in all it's shining glory. It's a great game, with great units, great strategy, and a great flawlessness. It fill what an RTS should be, and pushes the benchmark. What will upcoming RTSs do? Will they blow a balloon that Supreme Commander has blown, and make it bigger? Or will it slip out of their mouths, flutter in the air, and lie on the ground, a little pile of latex? As corny as that sounded, the meaning of it fits, doesn't it?

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/12/07