+ nice graphics that holds up even today + decent squad-based gameplay + good mission design + good improvements over S.W.I.N.E. - sometimes wonky controls - some sound and gameplay bugs - some units are wastly superior (sniper, mobile artillery) Stormregion shifted toward a more serious WW2 RTS with a combined-arms approach with artillery (towed and self-propelled), numerous support powers and most importantly, infantry. This all comes together in a rock-paper-scissor formulae. You must have a mixture of all three to work your way through maps. C:PPO is a squad-based game without base building, the units gather XP and the surviving ones advance through missions. You also get a certain amount of Prestige that you may spend on new units or wargears. Unlike S.W.I.N.E you cannot buy units mid-mission, making your starting force a very finite and valuable resource. Fortunately there's repair/heal for your units but they'll die in no-time if you're careless. Tanks and artillery can also run out of ammo. Beside the normal mission objectives sometimes there are hidden objectives too, rewarding you with additional prestige. The mission design is overall great and the game does not give victory easily. Props for including historically accurate ones too like Operation: Mercury, Market Garden or the Battle of Arres. There are some flaws of course. Some bugs (e.g. you can break the tutorial mission) but nothing that would seriously damage the enjoyment of the game. The enemy AI is pretty dumb most of the time, every general in the campaign speaks with English unit quotes and the cutscenes are sometimes downright ridiculous. Window border for double clicking units seems to be a bit off: even if you'd think that all of your units are in the frame, some don't get assigned. Also, some units are just way better than other choices. Apart of that this game is a great choice for WW2 RTS lovers and is wholeheartedly recommended.
With its charming visual, CLARC is an excellent brain teaser, if you like Sokoban. Here you can push, pull and turn boxes around, and the chance you get totally stuck is non-existent. There's about 60-40% divide between pure puzzles (like take box A, B and C to their places, or direct lasers to mirrors) and action-puzzles (snatch boxes from moving laser fences, evade robots, etc.). The game has a really forgiving saving method, so failing a puzzle won't throw you back to the levels' beginning. Beside box pulling, later the levels introduce new dangers and solutions, like reflective boxes, empty boxes, fixed and moving lasers, armed robots, etc. The problem is that new elements appear very scarcely. Sometimes the design is genuine and genius, like the robo-racing, or the portable beam projector. More often than not however, they repeat the same old trick over and over again. I also miss boss fights - a huge, missed opportunity IMO. Sound can also be annoying, I often turned it down completely. A zooming feature would also have been nice, especially where you have to dodge multiple laser beams at once. Action parts can also be frustrating for people who expect a pure logic game - sometimes you have to make pinpoint side-steps and turns, lest you get vaporized by enemy robot tanks or laser beams. Also, the story starts as a cute one, but it will unlikely to provide everyone with enough drive to try a failed puzzle for the 30th time. Despite the above mentioned issues I spent more than 20 with this game so far, hell bent on saving Clara. If you don't mind action in a logic-platforming game, give a shot for CLARC.
This game is actually an AoE2: Star Wars Total Conversion. If you would play and pay for it, do not miss this title. It delivers everything AoE2 (and the Conquerors expansion) did: - various species - a nice balance between resource management, R&D and fight - good campaigns - war on ground, sea and air My only beef is that due to the limitations of the graphic engine some scaling were needed with the bigger units, which makes them look strange. Apart of that, great game. If you expect ground-breaking solutions, clever AI and stunning details, look elsewhere; there are plenty of great RTSs here on GOG.
If you ever liked - the Starcraft missions where you had to wrestle against endless Zerg hordes with a handful of marines - sending mighty Space Marines of the Emperor against the Tyranid onslaught - to do YOUR part (and wanna learn more) ...then this game is DEFINITELY for you. Don't let the seemingly minimal graphics fool you. This is a fast paced tower defence/shoot'em up/RTS mixture, with very clever resource management. You've seen the elements in other games, but never before in such a masterful combination of tactics and action. The only problem, as others wrote, is the (lack of) internal balance. Some choices are way superior to the others (chaingun, grenade, medipack), while some others are inferior at best (scout, sniper). Still one helluva game, which well worth the buy.
Elaborate graphics? Nope. Gripping story? Wrong place, bro. Stunning gameplay? Bwahaha. No. This one is plain simple, gory fun. And I mean, FUN, with all caps. It is the perfect cruise control for your mind: just sit back, shut your cognitive functions off, and disperse sweet, mindless vengeance upon - literally - thousands of enemies with crazy weapons. Levels are linear. AI is non-existent. You'll likely to shut off your speakers after level 3. But it is like a pizza with salami, or a Big Mac. There's nothing subtle about it, there are better stuffs for your health, but sometimes it is all you need, and then, it feels damn nice to have it around.
I know it's hard to convince someone who is completey unfamiliar with this game to buy it, but you DEFINITELY should. This one... - is a perfect blend of genres, action, tps, rts, and sometimes arcade racing - has great characters and excellent, well placed humour around the whole game (fake-credits list for anyone?) - downright idiot storyline and weapons (in the most possible good meaning), plus excellent gameplay ideas that is rare to see even today (slow-time bubble and so on) - all of that coupled with excellent music and sound effects It is a game that means pure entertainment for me. It's still a great buy on its rack rate, but on sale it is a must.
