"From the table top to the DS the battle continues"

Have you ever wanted to play the table top version of the game but didn't want to get bogged down in all the literature and assemble all of the miniatures? If so, this game is perfect for you if you ever had an interest in the original table top version of this massively popular game.

This version of the game (both DS and the PSP) are the closest incarnation to the original table top game. Having previous experience with the source material, and having played through the single player campaign of this game I felt it was time to write a review that made sense. I won't be comparing this game to the table top but in the instances when I must I will be brief.

The story is simple, but this can be forgiven as the game is notable for its execution not in the story it has to convey. Essentially the story starts as a minor disruption on a planet ends up developing into a struggle for life or death as you must thwart the forces of Chaos from successfully summoning a greater Daemon into this plane of existence.

Each mission offers an objective that must be completed, with the underlying objective being to destroy all of the enemies. However, there are several occasions which arise that it is prudent to stall for time, or simply run to complete the objective as some missions require you to survive a specified number of turns, or to reach a point on the map to complete the mission.

This flexibility of how to complete each mission is paired with the fact that the terrain is almost completely destructible. This offers a fresh approach to the missions that require you to try them again. Some missions can be completed easier when you simply destroy every piece of cover in your path to victory leaving the enemy with no where to hide. However, you aren't the only one aware of this feature as the enemy will at times destroy terrain that you are using for cover.

The game is challenging in that your units will succumb to enemy fire quickly if you are reckless, just as in the table top. Over watch is a feature in which you choose not to use remaining AP and save it for "over watch" which means when the enemy moves into your cone of fire, they will be fired upon by your unit so you may employ defensive positions as well during the course of game play.

The music is appropriate for this game, with its only weakness being that it is the only music track between missions during the cut scenes. However, the cut scenes are very brief so this isn't a big deal. There is no music during the course of game play, but I didn't feel as if something was missing.

Sound effects were done well enough to supply this game with the atmosphere of playing the table top version (some people make noises and sound effects while playing the table top version....).

I had played through the entire single player campaign as well, and have to say that the difficulty level was increased just enough every mission to make you feel as though you accomplished something when you finally progressed through a tough mission. The reliance on secondary weapons which also leads to their exclusive use through out most of the game was the only part of the game that bothered me.

However this is not a problem as in multi player the reliance on secondary weapons isn't as big as single player since the weapons available are drastically reduced.

Overall I recommend this to anybody familiar with the table top, or anybody that was ever interested in the table top but never had a chance to try it. This game has a lot of re playability with the online multi player feature.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/20/07

Game Release: Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command (US, 12/17/07)