This is something Total Annihilation did not suffer from but there’s no question the early-to-mid game units are much more balanced and well thought out. A small criticism I have is the lack of level 3 ground units, I think some big tank-like vehicles would have bridged the gap between the small level 1/2 units compared to the experimental. Planes will automatically battle it out with rival aircraft, the scale of the naval units is highly impressive and defensive structures pack a real punch. Every unit feels worthwhile and it has its uses, balancing is very good and the fully fledges air, land and sea factories lead to limitless tactical possibilities. The balance between powering multiple shields and building units to attack the enemy is a constant balancing act that adds to the excitement.Įach of the factions has a vast selection of units you can build – 3 tech levels in fact – and after that you can even build a few giant experimental units, though you won’t see these till the last mission or in multiplayer. This means there’s a way to defend against long range artillery, but if someone is bombarding you with multiple units it will bring a single shield down. After sustaining a certain level of damage the shield goes down temporarily to recharge. These can be built and upgraded to shield parts of your base from attack. Supreme Commander also has far more realistic build times and it takes a lot of time and resources to build the powerful units, timing is crucial and establishing a good enough economy to build key units whilst holding off the enemy is what makes the gameplay so deep and eventful.Ī new feature not in Total Annihilation is the introduction of energy shields. This leads to longer and more unpredictable games, with multiplayer matches often lasting an hour. Having a counter to most units is a real treat and you never end up with the shallow superweapon scenario seen in Command & Conquer games where it’s impossible to counter. You can build nukes, which are massively destructive, but can be shot down en-route by an anti-missile defence system. As the game draws on, you can build some powerful structures such as long range artillery, which literally can shoot miles across the map, albeit at the expense of accuracy. In skirmish/multiplayer you can choose to play assassination, where the death of the Commander means defeat, or annihilation where you must destroy all of a player’s units. The commander is pivotal to your strategy and must be kept from harm as his death results in a huge explosion capable of taking out a huge chunk of your base.

When you gate to a new world you only have your ACU – the Commander, with whom you can build your base. When all’s said and done the missions are lengthy, fairly entertaining and will keep you busy for a few weeks, and the conflicting agendas of each side leaves a lot of scope for debate. In Supreme Commander, events are presented much more up-front and they have a humanoid factor the presentation is fine I think it’s sometimes best to leave some room for the player to visualise the characters themselves. This left most to the imagination and perhaps this is why it was so memorable for me. Some criticised the lack of a decent story in Total Annihilation, with its faceless adversaries Core and Arm. The story is okay but the focus is clearly on the action. Between missions you have brief mission briefings with humanoid looking CGI characters they are fairly believable in the way they act though the script is somewhat dry and predictable. There are 6 long missions for each side that will probably take you a few hours each as a completed objective expands the map further. The infinite war is near its end and the missions allow you to play it through in story mode. United Earth Federation (UEF), Cybran Nation and Aeon Illuminate. Supreme Commander has finally arrived 10 years after TA and expectations are extraordinarily high.Ī great intro video sets the scene well and introduces the sides. I was overjoyed two years ago when I heard the news of Supreme Commander and have been looking forward to it ever since. TA was made by the Cavedog who are no longer with us, but after their demise lead designer Chris Taylor went on to found Gas Powered Games. Supreme Commander has been referred to as the spiritual successor to 1997’s Total Annihilation a game way ahead of its time and one of my favourites.

Supreme commander reviews