I'm not a massive RTS fan. I've played my share, though, including the obvious: All of Blizzard's IPs (Warcraft, Starcraft), HomeWorld 1 & 2, C&C, Red Alert, etc. It had been a couple of years since I'd played one when I picked up TAB on recommendation from a friend. I also usually focus a game and play it till I'm bored, at a few hours at a time and a few days a week. Baldur's Gate EE, for example, held my attention for a month in that pattern, Skyrim for a few months (but Elder Scrolls is my favorite so I always return every year or every other year and play 3-5). Counter Strike or Half Life will hold my attention for a month or two, and Doom as well, among a ton of others that holds my attention for a couple weeks or days (Euro Truck). I love these games, but I get bored after -20-60 hours of gameplay. There are few exceptions. I played Just Cause 3 for probably 200 hours over half a year when I first picked it up. I got TAB Dec. 2017. Since then I've put more than 450 hours into it--430 hours were BEFORE the Campaign was released. This game is a fking masterpiece. It has its issues, for sure. But the balance required to expand your economy and base size to build more units and defend your base with the few units you start with...this game is absolutely incredible. I've never played an RTS this in-depth and with such a high level of difficulty. Really, if I had to guess, all of the negative reviews are written after someone failed to check their blind spots and were destroyed by a decomposing aged zombie, then rage quit and wrote a bad review. I've lost this game a hundred times or more. I still keep coming back to it. Because the challenge is refreshing and the depth outstanding. Really, if people had more patience they'd end up loving this game. People don't put any effort into their gaming anymore though. (Think WoW classic vs current day--the difference in difficulty is incredible). All in all, highly, highly recommended.
