Ground Control 2: Operation Exodus

Over the past several years, there have been many different RTS games that have been unleashed upon the gaming audience. The only problem with that is that many of them play the exact same and have the identical gameplay mechanics. Enter Ground Control II: Operation Exodus, unlike other RTS games on the market, this game has one major difference; it doesn’t bother players with heavy resource management, which allows gamers to get down into the action as soon as possible. Without this game being dependent on resource management, how does it fare? Read on to find out!

I really like that developers are trying to break out and create new genres of games. Even though this game is considered an RTS by nature, it really doesn’t play like one at all. Since players don’t have to worry about heavy resource management, players will be able to focus all their time on strategies on taking the enemy out, but this comes at a cost. Since players don’t have the ability to create units on the fly anymore, they will have to treat every member of the team like gold. If you lose one unit, it really could mean the difference between failure and success.

Players still command a small bit of resources, which they get when they capture bases and other key points in the game. With these points that you receive, you will be able to spend them on new units. Also if you do lose some precious units in a battle, you will receive some reinforcements at different times during the game.

There are two main types of units that players will control in this game: Infantry and Vehicles. The Infantry are different types of men that can accomplish a variety of different tasks. The vehicles in this game offer the same thing, it allows infantry units to fortify in them to get protection from enemy fire, repair damaged vehicles, and a variety of other things. The mixture of these units creates the perfect sense of play. There are different formations that are crucial, in certain formations the units will act differently, because of positioning and other factors.

The AI in this game is really good. Even though this is still a beta version of this game, the AI will give players a run for their money. It never feels cheap when you are deep in battle, and reacts somewhat lifelike by setting up ambushes, traps, and many other things that you would expect a human player would do.

The graphics for this game are nothing short of breathtaking!  I was amazed at how great this game looked, and how it really engulfs players into the war torn world that the characters live in. While playing through the games' many different levels, players will stumble upon many different locations that are rich with details. In the post-apocalyptic cities, players will see the buildings are run down, glass is broken, and everything has a burnt look to it. Other than cities, players will get to go through forests, deserts, and many other nature environments that appear to be so real!

This game even includes weather effects, and the different weather conditions will hamper your military force. For instance, when it is raining, it will slow down your troop’s movements and also hamper their field of vision. Just like in real life the weather can change in an instant, so not only will players have to worry about the enemies ambushing them, they will also have to factor in that the weather can change and become another obstacle that they will have to overcome.

The best thing about this games' graphics is the control players have with the camera. The graphics engine lets players see the game from any viewpoint their little minds can imagine. If you want to look at a specific building, they can zoom in on it, and rotate the camera a full 360 degrees so they can look at it in all of its 3D glory. If you need to check out the entire map to make your next move, then you can zoom out, and check out the majority of the map.

It is this kind of control that really helps get the players engulfed into this game. Players can zoom out and check out a route they want to go to. Then they zoom down to ground level and walk with the troops, all of a sudden you get ambushed, so while your guys are fighting, you must think of an alternate route if the enemies are starting to out gun you. This game is a strategy enthusiast’s diamond mine!

So far this game is shaping up to be something very special. When Ground Control II: Operation Exodus is finally released you will want to get your hands on this gem as soon as you can.

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