I have been itching for a good RTS game for a while now, especially after viewing all of the screenshots and trailers for the new Command and Conquer game. That itch has finally been scratched with the latest release from Gas Powered Games, and it is entitled Supreme Commander.

Supreme Commander takes place thousands of years into the future where war has ravaged mankind. Humanity has been split into three factions: United Earth Federation (they want order in the galaxy), Aeon Illuminate (alien-influenced humans who want to enlighten the universe), and Cybran Nation (cybernetic people who want freedom from the UEF). Unlike many other RTS games, this Supreme Commander does not have a huge branching storyline that shows that one particular faction is the evil one. Instead the game has three factions that show their point-of-view and what they fight for during this war. in this regard, the game strays from what is considered the norm for the genre.

As stated earlier there are three distinct sides in this game, and even though there are some of the same types of units on each side, in the end they do have major differences in them, especially when it comes to the “mega units.” The only bad thing about the gameplay is that the AI at times needs to have a babysitter in order to get around obstacles. Sometimes you will be leading your troops through a mountain path, and the AI will not find the way around unless you hand hold them through the gaps. It is not something that ruins the gameplay but it is slightly annoying.

This game really doesn’t offer many different gameplay options. First off there is the story mode that will have you play with each faction and see through their eyes why they believe they are correct and justified in their actions. Next up is the skirmish mode, which allows you to hone your skills for when you finally jump on into the multiplayer modes. This mode allows you to experiment with all the maps types to get to know your way around them and find various strategies to help you come out on top. The multiplayer modes allow you to play with up to eight different people and have huge intergalactic battles for supremacy.

There are couple things that really set this game apart. First off is the sheer size of the game maps. There are smaller maps which are 5km-by-5km to the largest maps which are 81km-by-81km! Even though some of the units are large, this amount of land is just enormous, and this means that you will never feel crowded in a map and you have plenty of room to roam, explore, and set up intricate strategies for the inevitable battles.

Another thing is that you have the ability to zoom in and out of the battle. While this is not really new, this lets you go way out that lets you spot everything on the map and quickly go to where you might be needed in a flash. Lastly, get to know and use your shift key in this game as it is extremely important. When holding down the shift key you can issue multiple moves and attack orders, as well as create various construction queues to even more things that will become very helpful later on in the game.

The graphics for this game are really great, especially when you zoom on in the battlefield. When you do this you will see how much detail is on the various units and if you look around you will see trees on fire, ships sinking, tanks smoking, and other signs of destruction as if you were on a real battlefield. This really holds true when you set off a nuclear explosion and you will see the aftermath first-hand, which features an insane amount of destruction.

Another thing that is really impressive is the amount of units there can be on the screen at one time. There were many times while I was in the midst of battle and I noticed there were numerous naval, air, and land units going at it all at one time. While this will make the game bog down (if your PC doesn’t have the highest specs around) this is still an amazing sight to behold. The animations for all of the units are great as well since they all have their unique feel to them.

The musical score in this game is really outstanding, and really makes you feel that you are in a colossal fight for supremacy. The music will move you when you are at the edge of defeat to continue to push you to see if you can hold the enemies off that much longer in order aunch a counterattack. The sound effects are also really well done as you will hear the whirls and sounds from your units moving, lots of laser fire, and wonderful explosions that will knock your socks off. The only thing that is bad is the voice acting which gets really cheesy and forced at times. Other than that small detractor, the sound is extremely well done.

One of the biggest problems with this game is that it requires some extremely steep hardware just to run the game, and that is before you get into some of the massive battles (especially online). My computer is not too old and up-to-date with all drivers and what not, and I had some issues with performance while playing the game. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it will hamper some gamers who are running on slightly older systems.

Supreme Commander is rated Everyone 10+ and contains comic mischief, fantasy violence, and mild language.

The system requirements are as follows:
Windows 2000, XP, or Vista
1.8 GHz or greater processor
512 MB of RAM
8X or faster CD/DVD drive
8 GB of disk space
128 MB Video Card
Direct X 9.0c

Gameplay: 9.0
Even though the three factions in the game are really similar (at least in the beginning of the game), players will have a blast as they play though it. All of the offensive and defensive capabilities will have your head swimming with various ideas on how to implement them.

Graphics: 8.9
The graphics for Supreme Commander are really great looking. All of the units have nice details on them and the special effects that happen while you are in a battle are a sight to behold. The only problem is that you have to have a pretty powerful machine to truly appreciate it all.

Sound: 9.2
The music for this game great, it will keep your blood pumping as you are fighting various enemies. The sound effects fit this game really well just like the musical score. The only thing that is not great is the voice acting, at times is sounds really cheesy and it really doesn’t fit well with the rest of the game.

Difficulty: Medium
This game can get difficult for even the most seasoned RTS gamers, because you will have to take care of many things. Even though this is the case I really liked how you have to use your wits to get past certain missions, which makes beating it more rewarding.

Concept: 9.0
I really enjoyed the ability to zoom in or out of battle, which gives an even more “strategic” feel to the entire game.

Multiplayer: 9.0
Playing against another human to find out who is the best is always a good and very satisfying feeling. This game is extremely addictive to play online.

Overall: 9.0
Supreme Commander is a really great RTS game that will keep fans of the genre entertained for months on end. Getting to attack from land, air, and sea is great and the biggest thing about getting to zoom in and out the battlefield in a blink of an eye to adjust your strategies is the best thing of all. If you enjoy playing RTS game then this game is will be a no-brainier purchase.