Supreme Commander 2

Supreme or obscene?

We're of the opinion that the RTS genre was never meant for the console. They're the kind of thing that's undoubtedly better suited to a mouse and keys, enabling you to make quick whip-crack decisions without having to wrestle with the relative inaccuracy of an analogue stick and the inherent headache that comes with multi-functioning face buttons.

Halo Wars almost convinced us that a console RTS could work, and indeed Supreme Commander 2 does a similar job in nearly persuading us that a control pad can accommodate all of the intricate commands required for moving units, building factories, managing resources, upgrading your army and a lot more besides.

Naturally, there are more than a few concessions in the game, but nothing that renders it any less complete than your average RTS, at least to the casual player. Gas Powered Games has done a stellar job in adapting the game to work within the limited parameters imposed by a control pad, utilising the analogue sticks to fluidly pan, rotate and zoom around the map with ease.

The most useful tool at your disposal is being able to zoom out to a tactical aerial view of the entire map and back into the nitty-gritty in one seamless motion. From here, you can get a bird's-eye view of all of your units, making it easier to command your armies where it would otherwise be simply too overwhelming using the standard battlefield viewpoint.

Supreme Commander 2 is a big, big game, made up of large-scale on and offline multiplayer modes, including one-off battles in Skirmish and a full story-driven, seven mission long campaign for each of the game's three factions. There's no shortage of things to do for SupCom fans, but newcomers to the series are also well-served by the game's brief but thorough tutorial, which takes you through the fundamentals in minutes.

Following getting to grips with the mechanics, you're given the UEF campaign to work through, which in turn unlocks the Illuminate and Cybran campaigns. Each follows a faction commander, beginning with Dominic Maddox, a UEF commander fighting against the Cybran threat. The ensuing Illuminate and Cybran campaigns follow a similar path, relaying exposition via picture-in-picture character dialogue exchanges and inter-mission cut sequences, but all lead towards the same goal, meaning that it takes real commitment to get through all of the single player material Supreme Commander 2 has to offer.

Skirmish and online multiplayer is where the real longevity lies, providing massive battles against AI or human opponents, where you set your own parameters. Starting out with your ACU (armoured command unit), you'll set to work constructing bases, extracting resources from designated points and assembling your forces just like the campaign, but mounting a successful strategy and utilising cunning tactical play to beat a human player is always going to be far more satisfying than facing off against the AI. Happily, online multiplayer is also nicely fluid and largely free of lag, making for a much more inviting experience than the relatively messy online console multiplayer to be found in the first game.

Fundamentally, Supreme Commander 2 also looks visually solid, with chunky, bold, pleasantly rendered buildings and units, which are merely functional above all else. The game engine competently handles circling flocks of jets and Rockhead tanks with little in the way of slowdown too, which is heartening given the amount of activity that can often occur on-screen at any one time. Obviously, when you're using the strategical zoom to get a good view of the entire battlefield, the frame rate occasionally stutters, which is acceptable given the sheer number of vehicles and animated buildings simultaneously on-screen.

In essence, the entire experience has been tightened up and streamlined for the console audience since the last outing, which may well leave a bitter taste in the mouths of the more hardcore strategy fan. There are fewer units and buildings than previous, which seems strangely counterproductive. Normally a sequel adds more stuff, rather than removing it, but then the aim is to make the game more accessible overall, which SC2 manages to be. This appeals more to the console crowd, although as aforementioned, hardcore players will feel a little short-changed.

Still, there's more than enough depth for the average player, with intricate research trees enabling you to upgrade buildings and units, and plough your research points into developing experimental tech, adding bonuses, upgrades and more advanced resources at your disposal. Building Mass Extractors at designated points alongside Factories and Power Generators is still the crux of putting together your base, but for Supreme Commander 2, the whole process is more straightforward and focused than before.

So, ultimately whether you enjoy Supreme Commander 2 will be almost completely subjective. On the one hand, the increased emphasis on the intuitive control system and overall accessibility is a positive move, but then as it comes at the expense of the depth and intricacy that made the first Supreme Commander popular among seasoned RTS gamers, then you might find yourself thinking otherwise.

On Xbox 360, Supreme Commander 2 is certainly an improvement over its scrappy forebear, and even though certain concessions have been made to appeal to a broader audience, the game still provides a suitably engaging RTS experience on the console that for fans of the genre, is at least worth a look. Some might still feel that this is severely lacking in the challenge department though, so approach with caution.

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By Richard Walker