This sequel to KKnD is a mixed bag. Some good things, some bad. Apologies for simple language, GOG's new (when was this implemented?) limits on reviews is too short. Graphics - worst feature of game. Terrain is fine, units are very bad, worse than KKnD 1. Animations are bad; too few of them. Example: clock. A clock hand moves smoothly around. In this game, there are no positions between the numbers, and there are only 8 positions. So instead of a continuous movement from lets say 12 to 6, in this game you see the unit snap from 12 to 1:30, to 3, to 4:30, to 6. There are no in between animations. Sound - mutant animal sounds and survivor unit voices are reused from KKnD 1. The series 9 robot voices are bad. Music - Well done tracks for all races Storyline - similar to KKnD, the FMV intro to each mission is the extent of the plot "progression". Humor seems less consistent than in first game. Gameplay - Overall, more balanced than the first KKnD: -Buildings more build time, multiple at once cause slow build, so build order is important - research expanded ; include more buildings - High ground and vision plays a more significant role in strategy - Towers very good now (too good maybe) - Units do different damage vs infantry/vehicles/buildings - Unit pathing is the the second worst I have ever seen in any game (first place for worst goes to Dark Reign 2). - air units far too easily countered ; not worth cost and time
I played this game way back when I was a little kid, and it was one of the first games I owned. I remember it being lots of fun and incredibly difficult, and I only managed to beat it by cheating. Of course with the years my gaming skill has improved, and after beating it just now, I feel qualified to comment fairly. Other reviews have explained the game, I'll raise a few points/issues that may have been glossed over. First off, strategy. One review mentioned this is nothing more than "overrun" type game (did he actually beat the game this way? I find it extremely hard to believe), another states that this kind of approach doesn't occur. The honest truth is that it's somewhere in the middle. The AI in this game DOES take the "blob" approach, as in it makes every type of unit, bunches them all together and throws it at you. While their army composition is a blob, the AI targeting is not. I haven't played enough to figure it out, but the AI does switch targets, so kiting with crappy units will NOT work very often; the AI will probably start targeting the units you want to protect. This targeting mechanism also extends to your base; in nearly every map there are multiple routes of attack, and the AI can (and will) use most of them. Expanding on the "blob" army composition, in this game it is not actually a downside. Yes, the early game units are useless and the AI shouldn't be making them, but aside from that the cluster of random units works well, simply because its YOUR job to defend against it. The units themselves have certain levels of "threat" I like to say, and because they're mixed in among other units, you cannot easily dispose of them. For example, flame infantry absolutely murder buildings (including your towers), but they're interspersed among vehicles, antipersonnel, antivehicle units, etc. For every counter you have, the enemy likely has a counter in their blob. The enemy also outproduces you (on certain maps you can catch up and overtake them) and therefore their blobs are bigger, so you literally cannot afford a blob type army and need to pick and choose your units. A final note on units: The balance is wonky. If you play the game you'll probably quickly figure out what I'm talking about. If you get the game and find it difficult, keep this in mind: infantry are cheap glass cannons and flamers are the devil. Now for a few minor things: -Units gain veteran status as they kill things, and considering how short their lifespan is, the rate of veterancy is appropriate. For certain units, this gives them rather substantial changes/benefits. This is quite possibly the earliest RTS to get veteran status done properly. -Researching as a process to get to higher tech units is a nice change of pace from the standard "building requirements" -In contrast to veteran status, repairing units is a horribly slow process that doesn't fit in with the overall speed of the game. I honestly haven't found a use for it. -I personally found the humor funny, though I guess its not for everyone. The storyline is thin, and the in-game voicework is scant. If this is important to you, then I'll have to suggest you look elsewhere. -You are limited to 8 total towers. -Thanks to a few incredibly difficult missions, I had more trouble beating this game than Starcraft 2 on brutal difficulty. Survivor Mission 10 (Occupation Force) is without a doubt the hardest RTS mission I've had to play so far. If this ever changes I'll edit or add in another review. Apologies if this reads like an unorganized rant, hopefully it somewhat helps you decide whether to get this game or not.
