I feel compelled to write a review as this is one of my all-time favourite games and one I still play with great pleasure even today.
This is a tactical RTS - you command a small group of units that can be customized at will: you can choose chassis (jeep, tank, hovercraft, air fighter), weapon (machine gun, missiles, laser, mortar) and ad-ons such as armour or shields. You will also have a (small) roster of pilot AIs to chose from. Each AI has a distinct play style and personality (which is achieved through great voice acting)
There is no base to build, just your ship where you will build your units instantly. There is only one resource, which is gathered from the field or from destroyed enemies. This simplicity is one of the things I love about this game.
Like Carrier Command, you can jump in the cockpit and pilot any vehicle on the field.
You can issue orders in active pause, from the command view (in classical RTS fashion) or directly from the cockpit if you are piloting a vehicle. This allows you to set the pace for the game: relaxed and thought-out from the command view, or in the heat of the action as you dodge enemy fire.
Overall I would say this is a pretty easy game - or let's say it's pretty hard to lose. This is mainly due to the active pause (you never get overwhelmed or need god-like APM). All units can be recycled with no resource loss (allowing to modify unit composition with no penalty). And you can easily out-play any of your AIs if you feel like jumping into the cockpit.
All in all everything ties beautifully together: the simple game mechanics, the AMAZING story, voice acting and personality of the pilots, variety of enemies and the feeling of power as things ramp up to epic proportions (although you never have more than 8 units). A true hidden gem!
