Sudden Strike 3: Arms for Victory

The Sudden Strike franchise has been a bit of a dark horse series, even though the game has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. However, the next entry is looking to change that and bring the series into the mainstream. Sudden Strike 3 brings the series into a nice new direction, with large-scale battles and epic missions that can last in the several hours range. Unfortunately, the game runs into some problems along the way, falling prey to big issues like pathfinding and problematic controls. Still, the intense battles are cool, and war strategy buffs should enjoy the large-scale and immersive campaign.

From the get-go, it’s pretty apparent that Sudden Strike 3 is quite different than its predecessors. The game commands a great deal more thought and strategic planning in order to win the skirmish. You’ll have to plan out your strategies meticulously; otherwise the AI will wipe the floor with you. Your units are programmable, allowing you to assign them to act offensively or defensively in battle. This really helps a ton, especially given the chaotic nature of the skirmishes.

Most of the game’s missions are pretty par for the course when it comes to the WWII strategy genre, as you’ll fight a host of well-known historical battles. However, while they aren’t terribly original, they do lend themselves well to the game engine’s epic scale.

Unfortunately, Sudden Strike 3 has some problems that keep it from being truly great. For starters, the pathfinding has a lot of problems. Units will constantly get lost and often take the long way to a destination, leaving the ones who arrive early getting creamed by enemy forces. This problem is exacerbated by the fact that you’ll be commanding tons of units at any given time, making the required micromanagement all the more frustrating.

Additionally, the controls can be problematic when the action gets hairy. The huge battles become a double-edged sword in this regard, since they can be so chaotic that it’s tough to distinguish certain units from each other and even more tough to select them when things get crazy.

Graphically, the game boasts a great new engine called Next7, which is responsible for filling the screen with tons of units at a given time. The environments look pretty detailed as well, with some nice terrain effects. The camera is also well implemented, allow you to pan it around the battlefield into whatever location you are most comfortable with.

The sound is also pretty good. The game’s score is typical for a game in the WWII strategy genre, but serves the overall theme pretty well. The voice work can get a bit annoying on the other hand, with certain statements being repeated a little too often.

Sudden Strike 3 is far from perfect, but the large-scale battles are a step in the right direction for the franchise, with more units on screen at any time than ever before. While the control issues are a pain, strategy buffs and fans of the series will find a lot to love here.

Gameplay: 7.0
Sudden Strike 3 represents a nice shift for the franchise with large, epic-scale battles that unfold very well. Unfortunately, pathfinding is a major issue, especially in some of the larger battles. Additionally, keeping control of your units during battles can be a bit of a pain.

Graphics: 8.0
The game’s graphics benefit nicely from the new Next7 engine, which lends itself well to the huge epic shootouts. The environments look quite nice and the camera is tweakable.

Sound: 7.5
The sound effects are clean and clear, and the soundtrack is what you’d expect to find in a war-based strategy title. The voice work can get pretty redundant and a little grating, unfortunately.

Difficulty: Medium

Concept: 8.0
Aside from some general control issues, Sudden Strike 3 is a nice step-up from its predecessors, offering up some pretty intense battles.

Multiplayer: 6.0
The game unfortunately only supports direct IP connections, shortchanging its multiplayer appeal.

Overall: 7.0
Due to control problems and pathfinding issues, Sudden Strike 3 is not perfect. However, the scale of the battles and intense firefights make it a marked improvement over its predecessors.