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Ground Control 2: Operation Exodus Review
Ground Control 2, the newest RTS from Vivendi Universal games, proves to be one of the most visually entertaining games ever. It’s clear and crisp graphics, and detailed environments blow you away as you conquer and destroy your opponents. Although the game is rich in visuals and great ideas, it can sometimes fall below the standards of a great RTS game. So, is it even worth your time?
GC2, the follow up to GC1, sets itself years ahead of it’s predecessor, with a huge difference in its storyline. People familiar with the original’s story will be greatly impressed with the new installment. Basically, it tells the tale of an empire besieged by another much more powerful empire, and you’re there to stop the stronger empire from taking over. Yeah, we have all heard it before, but what makes the game so great if the story is just ok? I’ll tell you, the graphics.
Ground Control 2’s graphics engine is mind blowing. Every unit, environment, weapon, building, cloud, even the star filled sky, is coated in some of the best graphics I have ever seen in an RTS. The infantry even have facial expressions! Shadows are perfectly cast upon the ground, muzzle flashes light up the area around the action, all of these little technical features that exist within this game make the world (or worlds) that you are playing in seem unexpectedly real, even though the time period is so far ahead of ours. But playing in this perfectly crafted universe is definitely a task for many computers. Slowdowns, frame rate issues, and graphic glitches can occur frequently on many lower end systems. Simply put, this game will tax your video card, and memory.
The unit’s themselves in GC2 are also spectacular. The game’s two races, the NSA and the Virons, each have their own unique units and are all wonderfully detailed. Using chemicals and bio weapons, the Virons are vicious and powerful, but their opposition, the NSA, use cunning stealth and tactical units to get the job done. No matter what side you play as, the game is perfectly balanced, eliminating any favoritism over your faction selection.
Another neat feature in GC2 is the way you create and command units. In most RTS games, units are built out of factories or structures in your base. In this game, units are called in from other parts of the world, and eliminates boring time consuming micro management. Once ordered, a customizable drop ship lands and drops off the units to one of your landing zones. Landing zones not only specify what areas of the map you want your units to be delivered, but are also the key to your survival. Allow the enemy to grab your landing zone, and you are finished.
Commanding your array of deadly units is very easy as it is crucial to your survival within the game. Formations can be used to better defend against enemy attacks, and group assignments can be used to easily switch between large numbers of units across the map. But, there is a problem that I find in many RTS games that can kill the experience for a battle hardened general like me. GC2 only allows you to select up to 16 units at once. Being a tactical and strategic game, only allowing 16 units to be selected and moved at once is pretty much an outrage. It plays more like Warcraft 3 than any other real RTS game. And I found Warcraft 3 to be more of an RPG then a RTS. Some people may find GC2’s lack of base building and defense constructing bad in some ways, when others will find it to be original and new. It all depends on what your preference is.
GC2 has many different units each with there own weapons and special abilities, but sometimes it can get tedious having to switch between them during a fight. It can get hectic during a battle switching through all of your men to find which unit best counters the enemy, especially since there are often so many! Your planes can attack enemy vehicles and aircraft but can’t target infantry. This would force you to counter his infantry with land vehicles. But then again, like I stated earlier, it all depends on what you like. Some may find this factor of “Rock Paper Scissors” type play to be strategic when others may find it pointless.
The soundtrack, a pivotal role in the style of an RTS game, is decent. The main theme was stuck in my head several times while I visited the menus. It is always important to have decent music playing while fighting, because it can set the mood of play and “pump” you up for the battle. Games like Command and Conquer always had an exquisite soundtrack to help bring along the flow of the game. However, GC2 doesn’t disappoint in this category.
For a battle hardened RTS commander such as myself, or for the more casual gamer, Ground Control 2 is indeed a game worth anyone’s time. It has everything an RTS game should have and nothing more. Setting the standards in graphics, gameplay, and style, Ground Control 2 is simply a good game, despite its sometimes difficult control styles.
Written by John Metz. Posted year 2004.
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Released on
June 23, 2004
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