Supreme Commander

"Great multiplayer and innovative design; lackluster SP"

Supreme Commander is the long-awaited RTS from Chris Taylor & Co. Set in a future in which three human factions are setting up their endgames after one thousand years of war, it features massive robot armies and some innovative control designs, as well as some ass-kickin' multiplay action.

To begin with, it must be said that the scale of this game is huge. The unit caps can be set anywhere from a fairly standard 250 to a whopping 1000, and even the smallest maps are quite large; the biggest ones are scaled tens of kilometers across and can take quite a long time to traverse with even the fastest units.

The variety of units to choose from is suitably massive as well, ranging from standard base-level mech infantry to huge battleships and nuclear missile silos. Also, each faction gets three experimental units, each of which has the power of an army in its own right. All this firepower is orchestrated by your Armored Command Unit (ACU), a big ol' mech that's one part mobile factory, one part fighter, and one part nuclear bomb, if you don't protect him well enough. The three factions are well balanced, if a little lacking in diversity; only the experimental units really set them apart from each other. It is based on these units that most players seem to make their faction choices.

A game begins with your ACU teleporting into a map and then building a base. You'll have to manage your economy well if you want to succeed, balancing your building and teching efforts with your ability to gather the resources of mass and power. You'll want to make sure you have enough defenses, though, as an unexpected attach can severely set you back or even destroy you early in the game. There is a great deal to attend to in the game, to be sure, but the control system streamlines things and makes this seemingly complex task relatively manageable.

Controls 10/10

SupCom uses a fairly standard RTS interface, but brings with it two distinct control innovations that set it apart. First is the zoom, which, using the mouse wheel, allows you to zoom out to see the whole map or zoom in close to check out individual units, and everywhere in between. Occasionally, it's difficult to find the perfect level of zoom, but usually, this is a highly intuitive and useful system that leaves the standard minimap navigation far behind in the dust.

The second innovation is the ability to stack up orders, namely build orders, by holding down the shift button. This significantly cuts down on the necessity to micromanage your builders, allowing you to concentrate elsewhere.

The remaining controls are, as I said, standard RTS stuff; they work well. If you've ever played an RTS, you know how they go.

Sound 8/10

The sound quality is decent; nothing special, but not terrible, either. Lasers and explosions sound like they ought to; the voice acting in the campaigns is average at best, but more on that later. The music is appropriately majestic, and responds to developments in gameplay, which is a nice detail. Overall, unoriginal, but quality, and if the sound doesn't add a lot, it doesn't detract anything, either.

Graphics 8/10

The graphics look good from the higher levels at which you will usually view the action; the terrain in particular is great. Even at the highest quality settings, however, unit textures are a little ugly close-up, and some of the animations are kind of awkward. The explosions and what not are, I think, the best graphics in the lot; I particularly like the nuke effects; this is the first game that really conveys the power of nukes into gameplay. Overall, it isn't the prettiest game in the world, but the graphics work, and are hardly the most important factor in judging a game.

It does take a hefty computer to manage all this, however, even at the lower graphical settings. Be warned.

Single-Player 6/10

Not so hot. The storylines for the campaigns (one for each faction) are dull and unimaginitive; the voice actors are crappy, but then again, they don't have the best material to work with either. I'm not looking for Starcraft quality in the plot, but something engaging would be nice. Missions are likewise unimaginitive; I do like how the maps are progressively revealed after various objectives, extending the play time, but there's no uniqueness in their design. Playing against the computer, whether in a deathmatch battle or in the campaign, usually turns into a spamfest of high-end units, with little tactical or strategic thinking involved. On higher difficulty levels, the AI's only skill is in micromanaging faster than you can.

Multiplayer 10/10

If single-play is where Supreme Commander falters, then multiplay is where it shines. Playing against a human opponent adds a heavy does of the strategy element, making intelligence, balance of units, and movement vitally important. In my experience, playing my housemates, games usually last around an hour or two (unless someone gets lucky, unlucky, or stupid), but I've heard some folks in cutthroat Internet games can do it in 10-20 minutes. In either case, it's a wild game of titanic battles, nukes flying back and forth, and experimental units pounding one another before someone is finally ground down. Spamming units here would be suicide, as by the time you'd built up enough to make a difference, your opponent will have scouted your base, seen what you're doing, and built an appropriate counter. Only sound strategy, diverse armies, and a strong economy will lead you to victory here.

Personal Rating 9/10

Hey, as far as RTS multiplayer, there hasn't been a better game than Supreme Commander since Starcraft first reared its head. I was disappointed by the sucky single play, especially by the lack of a good campaign, since the setting seems ripe for a great story, but I have so much fun nuking my housemates that I don't care that much.

If you're got a hankering for some excellent multiplay and have the computer to run it, then Supreme Commander may be for you!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/26/07