This game had so much promise, especially from the reviews here. As a disabled veteran who met the enemy in the same areas depicted here, I was pretty pumped. But this... is not what I was hoping for. It's gamey... even for a game. The manual stated that you men are highly trained, and, therefore, will not engage unless ordered to. Apparently, that means even if they are in a fire position and the enemy literally strolls in front of them while you are commanding another squad or buddy team. I say poor programming, here. Also, it is gamey in that you need to click, then click again, then click again in a radial menu to get your guys to do things. This works in Neverwinter Nights because you can pause while giving orders... but not here. So, while you are clicking through an endless radial menu to get your men to do things any Trooper with a brain would do, someone is almost guaranteed to die. I am all for a brutal and fast paced game, but this game makes "fog of war" into an all-powerful-entity and the controls, paired with the (lack of) AI, just plain suck. I've done the things in this game in real life, and this does not simulate reality by even a close margin.
"How about a little fire, scarecrow?" Yup... you hear ol' Ash (Jake) say that a lot as you destroy your enemy in endless battles. This game is great and has everything you need for a good but very linear space sim/opera. Ship control is easy, with the added complexity of power transfers between your shield, weapons, and after burners. Capital vessels and space stations carry a lot of mass, and dwarf your fighter, which is visually impressive, and also actually allows you to hide in weapons' blind spots and pick off sub-systems. The voice acting is great for all my fellow Army of the Dead fans out there; the graphics are aged, but not to the point where you feel like you are in a dinosaur; ship controls are fantastic. Pro Tip: blast your burner to get to full speed, then "slide" to continue at full speed to reduce engine energy use. It's not an exploit, it is scientifically accurate since it would require retro rockets to slow you down in space. Use that extra energy for your weapons.
This is a great game. It is well worth the price of admission. Well polished, easy to play, smooth transitions between being the "hero" and leading an army. The story line is also good and transitions from quest to quest perfectly. I have never played a Spellforce game before, but this one has me interested in the series.
