A good, tactical challenge. (Ground Control (PC))

Member Name: scola_p

Product:	Ground Control (PC)
Date:	10/08/07 (65 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: One of the most tactically engaging games I have ever played

Disadvantages: Looks old now, and some may miss resource management

As a fan of Real Time Strategy (RTS) games, I love when I stumble upon a gem, and this game is one such find.

From reading the blurb on the back of the box, it seems like a pretty standard futuristic RTS game, but nothing could be further from the truth. This truly is an absolute corker of a game.

It is set about 500 years in the future, after the third world war, and follows the progress of Major Sarah Parker in her battle against the Order of the New Dawn.

Now, the game came out in 2000, so the graphics are hardly cutting edge, but the are perfectly functional and portray the action well enough. The sound is well done and conveys a real sense of being involved. These, however, are not what makes this game great.

This game is real tactical treat. There are so many really good ideas implemented that I am unsure where to begin, but I am going to try.

In this game, vehicles have different strength armour on different sides. A tank may be heavily armoured from the front, but the back, top and sides will be weaker. This means that a good old fashioned flanking manoeuvre has real benefits in this game, as do ambushes and also taking the high ground is extremely beneficial.

In addition, any unit under fire, weather it is being damaged or not, cannot move or attack as effectively, as they are forced to take cover. This means that a well positioned and protected squad of infantry can slow down the advance of enemy tanks whilst you flank them.

Infantry in this game are not reduced to the pointless cannon fodder role they are in other titles due to the factors I mention above, along with the excellent use of stealth. There is nothing more satisfying than hiding a squad or two of anti-tank infantry in the woods and blasting an enemy column from behind!! In addition to the use of woods to hide in, anyone can hide in shadows to remain out of sight.

The airborne units in the game are also implemented very well. The attack units do have extraordinary firepower, but they are incredibly lightly armoured. This means you have to use them very intelligently.

Finally, and perhaps the factor that has the biggest impact on the nature of the game, you only have a limited number of units you can use for each mission. When a soldier dies or a vehicle is destroyed, you really feel the loss, as they are not coming back. This effect is magnified by the fact that units get given experience at the end of each level, and they do develop noticeably as the game progresses. If you loose a few soldiers of vehicles from a unit, they are replaced by individuals of equal experience. If, however, a whole unit is lost, you get back some rookies to replace them. The anguish I felt when my best squad, who had been with me since the start of the game, died in an artillery barrage defies belief. This level of involvement in the survival of your troops adds a great deal of appeal to the game.

Unit control is handled at a squad level, rather than individual, which I find much more sensible. You can move them around in different formations, but they still retain unit cohesion, which is the way the real world works.

All in all, this is one of the best RTS games I have ever played, and I would recommend it to anyone, even though it is now 7 years old.

Summary: A real treat for anyone who prefers to fight battles than throw masses of troops around