Customer Reviews

Supreme Commander Gold Edition

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The original SupCom was another excellent example of a good game that got too over-hyped for its own good. When it eventually hit the stores, the impression it made did not live up to the expectations (feel free to browse my review on the original game as well).

Its main flows were unpractical graphics (great looking yet unplayable when zoomed-in - whereas, the zoomed-out warfare views were bland and generic), as well as strategically irrelevant ground characteristics. Luckily, SupCom-FORGED ALLIANCE is a standalone expansion that THQ obviously worked on improving.

As with the original, SupCom-FA demonstrates its strengths when a great number of units is deployed. After all, war is big and ruthless - and this is SUPREME COMMANDER - and not...PRETTY BIG Commander; on the other hand, there is no free lunch in this universe.

This expansion sports improved graphics (on both units, shadows and terrain) - but this also means higher system requirements that include the effective need for a Dual-core processor. Just like the original game, SupCom-FA requires a lot of resources to calculate the physics and ballistics in a way that other RTS games would not even touch with a pole. So, when the number of units increases make sure that your system *surpasses* even the RECOMMENDED requirements (provided below):
* 3.0 GHz Intel (or AMD equivalent)
* 1024 MB of RAM
* nVidia 7600 (256MB) (or equivalent)
* 6GB of HDD space.
Now, even meeting the above, you canNOT rule out stuttering and freezing. A Dual-core processor is, in my experience, essential - and this is a requirement NOT justified by the quality of on-screen graphics. Today, there are many games that do wonders with much lower requirements - and this is where SupCom-FA looses its 5th star. The reason for this is the demanding physics calculations taking place in the background. Since they add little to the overall result, I could do without them if this would mean being able to play the game on older systems.

This is a much better deal than buying only the expansion for almost the...same price - provided you do not already own the original game! Here is why.
With the Expansion, supposedly, one is buying all three factions of the original SupCom as well as the new Seraphim faction. However, at $30 that is a pretty steep deal as the new Seraphim faction is only available in Skirmishes and Multiplayer, and does NOT have a campaign of its own! And, to add insult to injury, the other three original factions are LOCKED and not available in a Multiplayer - unless one has the original SupCom!

This GOLD EDITION, however, so it contains BOTH games for a slightly higher price of the expansion and, thus, is a good deal. Waiting for the Summer sales wouldn't hurt though...

Supreme Commander has forever changed the way RTS will be played, mostly due to its strategic zoom, but also due to its sheer depth of scale and strategy/tactic options (these pertain more to Forged Alliance than they do to the original SupCom). For those who are familiar with Total Annihilation, this game is a must have, as it surpasses what TA accomplished in just about every way imaginable. Be warned though, you have to be willing to learn with this game, as it forgoes the limited scope of games like C&C (all versions).

As other reviews have stated, pay attention to the system requirements for this game, and keep in mind that the minimum requirements will allow for little more than 1v1 online games at low resolution and graphics. However, many will find that the online 1v1 offered is some of the most intense and fast-paced multiplayer action available, and climbing the ranked ladder becomes addictive.

Among the numerous pluses regarding this game, two stand out in particular to me. First, the game is run based on projectile physics (thus the need for a beefy CPU). This means, in short, that battles due not use scripted firing or dice rolls to decide the outcome. Every unit in the game calculates things such as speed, arc, and distance when firing, which in turn means that proper micro-management can allow one to dodge incoming fire to some extent.

The second plus about the game to me is its modding community. For those familiar with TA, this needs no introduction. However, for those unaware, it was very easy to go online and download anything from a custom made map, to new units, to total rehauls of Total Annihilation online, thus significantly extending its shelf life and replayability. The same can be said for Forged Alliance.

All in all, this is a game for the truly devoted RTS fans, as it has a very steep learning curve. Imagine the strategic depth of the Civ series, combined with the fast pace multiplayer action of StarCraft, and throw in some outstanding graphics and map design. Well worth giving a shot, especially with the drop in price!!!

Both SP and Forged Alliance are enormously fun because of the vast number of options you can use to smash your opponent(s).

Feel like being a ground-and-pound player? No problem...build a couple of land factories and pump out lots of little units. Feel like building a powerful air? Ditto. Artillery duels? Yep. Want to mostly concentrate on early rushes? Well, that's probably something you'll have to be at least a little good at...but otherwise there's options galore.

Basically, if you can think up a strategy, there's a tactic and types of units to support your idea. Although the attritional model still holds (build more and bigger units than your opponent), some clever or unusual gameplay does occasionally win games.

Now the drawbacks.
--There isn't a computer yet built than can run this game...and buying the most powerful GPU isn't going to help all that much over a mid-level GPU. Expect a 8800/9800 GT for decent graphics on a large screen (and you want a large screen because the units are tiny). You'll want a quad core as this game can max out two cpus (the 3rd and 4th cpu is still utilized though not maxed out). For fun click on the "ranges" button and watch your mighty quad-core be brought to its knees.
--Tiny unit icons when zoomed out. Get a huge monitor...24 inches or bigger.
--A slightly awkward interface that requires pressing two keys at the same time (ctrl-a, alt-.,ctrl-l). It's something you can get around with practice but the real solution is the game should come with a key-mapping menu.

To be fair most of the drawbacks will be mitigated as computer technology gets better and cheaper. Sure, you can play this on a lower-end computer but it won't be fun.

Supreme Commander CPU and GPU benchmarks.
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This is one of my favorite RTS games of all time! It's up there with Company of Heroes! The scale of this game is absolutely crazy having up to 500 units per player in a single match. I would recommend this game to anyone who likes strategy games!

I've been a fan of Total Annihilation ever since it came out (and the expansion units made it even better), and Supreme Commander continues the tradition, improving on it in important ways and changing the nature of the game in other ways.

There isn't any "flash rushing" here, it often takes minutes before a first assault can begin and the early defensive structures do an admirable job of fending off weak attacks, this game is far more defensive and tech oriented than most multiplayer games of TA turned out to be, but there are many ways to play, much more variety than in typical TA tactics.

This is not a quick game - expect any game to last 15 minutes if attempting to play quickly, hours with defensive tactics.

Pros:
Fun multiplayer game, as long as you don't let every game stretch into a multi-hour epic struggle, that just leads to burnout :)
Fun skirmish (AI) mode, with several AI modes to choose from.
Many interface features that make managing massive armies a more tractable problem, especially the splitscreen features.
The experimental units are just awesome, it's always a race to build one to see what it can do to the opponent's base.

Cons:
The singleplayer campaign is basically a write-off, skirmish mode is much more fun.
This game stresses ANY computer to its limits, it gets pretty sad when the game is running in slow motion because one of the players has a computer that can't keep up.

Overall:
Play skirmish and multiplayer, build infrastructure fast, do a bit of rushing with certain units, race to the experimentals, and this game will give you one great play after another.

This is one of the best strategy games to have come out in the past decade. I grew up on cnc tiberian sun and homeworld and this stands even with them in my eyes. game play is well balanced but the option to unit spam is still there. with the exception of the UEF tech 3 artillery which on smaller maps is a game ender in itself. There was an oditty though. the supplier who sent me this product sent me the UK distribution while the box art on here is clearly for the US edition. works fine and all that but its a little perplexing. there store is in america shipping to an american address why ship the uk distro? also there is one bug that probably will not be address in forged alliance. if you make a game save and have some mods turned on like no game enders and exit the game when you return to that save the modifiers may be turned off.

When I first bought this (few years ago) I played the first mission, but didn't really like the gameplay that much. But then a few months later I decided to give it another try and was hooked. I finished the whole game in just a few days. The story is great and the gameplay phenomenal!

First off, this game isn't for the faint of heart. It is a complex strategy game and I shiver to think of what it would be like to play against other people who are good at it. But I digress, it is a tough game, but that is its draw. There is so much stuff to do and try. Vast, naval battles, or maybe air battles, or perhaps you like hitting the enemy with long range artillery or missiles? There are nukes, carpet bombing, shields, nuke defenses, etc... Then the best stuff, experimentals, basically a tough to build units that just own everything. I always liked being the Cybran and building a few mega spiders and then some of the experimental airships. Nothing could stop me! :)

Anywho, the community is still going strong and there are a lot of great mods out there. Any RTS buff or even just a SCI FI buff should have this game. It is cheap right now and a total blast! I bought a copy for my brother so we can play online and beat down the AI! :)

...and buy this game. This game is arguably the greatest RTS ever made. Any fan of RTS game should enjoy this game immensely. The scope of this game is still, to this day, unprecedented.

I personally enjoy this game more than Starcraft 2.

As an avid player of RTSes such as Age of Empires (1 and 2), Commander and Conquer: Generals, and Company of Heroes; Supreme Commander was introduced to me by a friend of mine and I fell in love instantly. SC has a very unique economy system and other interesting things like adjacency bonuses. Overall it is a very well-done, well-polished game and I highly recommend it.

I've stopped playing my Command and Conquer games.
I also stopped playing Star Craft II.
It is vast improvement over TA and Devolution - they are still very good games.
I like the zoom method over the small map in the corner.
The game runs great. The graphic and sound are very good.
The missions really draw you in - although the plot gets to be a little convoluted.
Glad I got it. A great game at a great price.