This is a nice RTS game, without a storyline.
The big problems are in the skirmish maps. With 8 factions my PC start to heating (running the first Crysis doens't make this effect!!) and after a while, with a lot of troups, the game starts to go slow and slow. After about 10 minuts it takes 5-10 seconds to run 1 second in game!!!
Devs must release an update in order to optimize better the game or this mode is unplayable!!
At first this game is great. A nostalgic trip right down the Command & Conquer memory lane. I knew beforehand that there was no real story to speak of and that was fine with me. But after a few missions you realize how lazy and uninspired the mission design really is. It is always "destroy x headquarters" or "kill everything" on the same maps over and over again. No variation. And the only challenge comes from the enemies numbers ore unfair advantages (nuke-silos anyone?).
Maybe skirmish or multiplayer are descent. I dont't know. Never tried it and at this point I don't care any more.
This game is atrocious in every sense of the word. Another trashy "retro styled" game that will never get played in my library. Lan not functional "Why include it?". We had better luck connecting together playing Warcraft orcs and humans than this garbage at our lan party. Looking past the shoddy lan support this game is like a basic vanilla ice cream cone. How can a game get this much praise for such minimal gameplay?
8-Bit Armies is cool, sleek design, simple and easy to read graphics, tight gameplay. In other words, a must for every C&C style real time strategy fan.
There's one big let down, though, like another reviewer pointed out: there's no LAN multiplayer, which is annoying as heck.
Really hoping they'll add it in the future.
#Summary (55%):
On the surface, 8-bit Armies captures the glory days of the early Command & Conquer games. Once we look past its modernised mechanics, we find a repetitive, simple RTS underneath.
#Review:
8-bit Armies does not even try to hide the fact that it is a C&C: Tiberian Dawn clone. Almost everything is here, from the user interface to the tech trees or unit types. The sound design is especially noteworthy of re-creating the original game. It is not surprising that EA selected these developers years later to remaster the original C&C.
Despite these great call-backs, 8-bit Armies feels like a cheap fan project. For example, there is only one faction (unless you buy the DLC), so everything is a mirror match. There are only a handful of maps, thus the campaign is rotating them with increasing enemy bases. As much as I like the old C&C atmosphere, I was not ready for an AI that also matches 1995 standards. Finally, it felt strange using modern RTS controls in a C&C-like environment.
As for the added elements, they are so-so. I liked that we could use the campaign rewards to buy permanent starting upgrades. Then again, we need these to revisit earlier levels as the gold time limits are ridiculous. 8-bit Armies also faithfully recreates the old tank rush strategy all too well. Higher-tier units have a mountain of health, so rushes are the only viable strategy in the entire game.
If someone has an irresistible C&C itch, then 8-bit Armies can scratch it. I am not sure though that it is a better remedy than many similar (and free) fan projects. Especially if you skip the DLC, the only thing that adds some real variety to it.
