Posted on: October 26, 2009
antihippie
Verified ownerGames: 194 Reviews: 52
A flawed sequel to a fantastic original
Ground Control was a fantastic game, Ground Control 2 is an OK game, but it tries to improve on the mechanics of the original and falls far short. By adding several unnecessary bits, and tinkering with the mechanics, Ground Control takes what should be a fun and exciting game and turns it into a often frustrating experience. GC2 moves well away from the original in plot, a few centuries in fact, to a new war with new characters. There are a lot of significant improvements. The graphics are better for one, and it especially shows in the ruined cityscapes you often fight in. Also, there is a cover mechanic that allows soldiers to make use of bunkers, and make better use of high ground than in the original. Soldiers can now make use of forested areas to move without having to fear from vehicle attacks, and turrets play a big factor in defending areas. However, there are a few niggling details that really strip GC2 of the frenetic fun that the original had. For one thing, the game adds capture points and landing zones, requiring you to ferry down reinforcements and micromanage in a way the original did not. This reduces the value of your men, and turns some of the levels into frustrating chases around the map as you try to track that one enemy unit that's capturing your rear capture points. Some levels are utterly stripped of strategy, turning into a grinding battle of attrition as you throw troops against enemy landing zones, hoping to catch them between dropship landings. The game has command points needed to summon units and use special attacks, which makes it hard to recapture the momentum once its lost. The most frustrating aspect of all though is the controls. Unlike the original game, which had light, responsive and intuitive controls, GC2's handling is sluggish and occasionally unresponsive. You'll find yourself clicking units again and again to get them to respond, or to get them to switch weapon modes. Add to this the fact that GC2 loses all of the original kit customization of the original, which largely strips any form of pre-mission planning or strategizing and you end up much closer to just another bland RTS game. I highly recommend you play the original, and if you're willing to put up with the frustration give this one a try, but it shouldn't surprise anyone that this was the last of the series.
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