Supreme Ruler 2010

There are many different strategy games out on the market currently. Many of these games take one aspect and really focus on it for the entire game. Some focus on warfare, economy, and various other means. Battlegoat studios have released another strategy game into the world that goes by the name of Supreme Ruler 2010. Does this game have what it takes to compete with some of the “big boys” of strategy gaming will it remain on the sidelines warming the bench? Read on to find out more!

The story behind this game is pretty intense and starts right after the 2004 Presidential election. Many bad decisions were made, and it eventually caused the end of the world as we currently know it. All of the 50 states succeeded from the United States, many countries around the world went into civil war and are split in half, and even the United Nations was disbanded. In its place came an organization known as the World Market. With everything and everyone in chaos, the world is up for grads, so it is up to your ambition to unite the world under one person, you. Players will take control of one of the two hundred nations and see if they have what it takes to make the world their own. Are you up to this supreme challenge?

There are several different game modes to keep you occupied for many hours in this game. First off there is the tutorial mode which will teach you the basis of the game so you will know what to do during different situations. Next there is a scenario mode which allows you to try any of the scenarios created in the game or even user created scenario. Then there are missions, which are not standard scenarios but you are given a specific goal that you must accomplish in order to continue.

The true meat and potatoes of this game is the campaign mode. In this mode you will start off with a small region under your control, and it is your goal to see if you have what it takes to conquer the entire world. As you progress the missions will get longer and harder and truly test your skills of leadership. This mode will truly test your patience and dexterity as you try to take over the world. Each scenario that you will go through will have its own victory conditions that you must abide by in order to take control of that region. This mode will consume your life away because it is highly addicting.

Just like in the real world, players will have help running their regions; this help is known as your cabinet. They will help you during the course of the game by offering their opinions on what you are doing right and what you need to be doing more of. The members are available in six different categories: Military Operations, Defense Department, State Department, Treasury Department, Commerce, and Domestic Affairs. Having the correct people in your cabinet can really help you turn the tide of the game, and help you out, while you can focus on other tasks in this game.

This game offers players a lot of depth. Players will be able to upgrade more than the standard military units. You will be able to research various things such as science and other industries to further strengthen your nation. This system works similar to the upgrade system in games such as Civilization. With all the choices available to the players it might seem overwhelming but this game makes it easy enough to understand what you will need to do to make your country better.

The graphics for Supreme Ruler 2010 are a mixed bag. I really loved how the developers used real satellite imagery to accurately represent all of the countries of the world. This offers players the chance to realize how big or small the countries they are about to invade are in real life, and this is something that no other game (to my knowledge) offers today. When you are invading Italy or any other country, you will get the feeling that you really are invading it, due to how accurate it looks.

Unfortunately there is also a downside to the graphics. While the world is accurately modeled to perfection, all of the units, buildings, and other things are not. All of the buildings really stick out like a sore thumb on the map, and look almost “cartoonish” in nature. This is not a horrid thing, but for many gamers out there who love to have their video cards pushed to the maximum, this game will turn you off.

If you like listening to a wonderful orchestral soundtrack that moves while you are playing your strategy game, then this game will disappoint you in this area as well. While the soundtrack is not the best around, it is definitely not the worst either. The sound effects that you will hear throughout the entire game are also not that bad, they are just really generic and have a “been there heard that” tune. Even though the sound is not the best in the world, the gameplay will really carry over any faults that you might have with this or the graphics category.

Supreme Ruler 2010 is rated E for Everyone for violence.

The system requirements are:
Pentium III 800 MHz
128 MB of RAM
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
4X CD-ROM
DirectX 8.1
32 MB of VRAM
Keyboard and Mouse.

Gameplay: 8.5
One thing that you will have to give the developers is that they created a finely tuned strategy game. Thanks to the tutorial, you will understand the basics of the game, which makes the game easy to start playing. As you progress throughout the game it will become more addicting as you will want the world to be under your control.

Graphics: 7.5
The graphics for this game are a mixed bag. I liked the scale of all of the countries and accurate representation of the sizes and this is due to them using real satellite imagery. What is on the down side is the look and feel of all of your units. They are not as detailed as they could have been.

Sound: 7.3
The music and sound effects are pretty generic.

Difficulty: Medium
Depending on your skill level will define how hard this game will be for you.

Concept: 8.0
I really liked how this game was not too hard to pick up on, and how the developers used satellite images to recreate the world. This made the game feel more realistic.

Multiplayer: 7.9
You will be able to play up to sixteen people online.

Overall: 8.3
While Supreme Ruler 2010 is not the prettiest game in the world, it does have a lot of depth that will keep players coming back for ages. Those gamers who only like to play games with the best graphics may be disappointed and shun the game immediately, but if you give it a chance it will surprise you.