Ground Control 2: Operation Exodus – PC – Preview

Over
the past several years, there have been many different RTS games that have been
unleashed upon the gaming audience. The only problem with that is that many of
them play the exact same and have the identical gameplay mechanics. Enter Ground
Control II: Operation Exodus, unlike other RTS games on the market, this game
has one major difference; it doesn’t bother players with heavy resource
management, which allows gamers to get down into the action as soon as possible.
Without this game being dependent on resource management, how does it fare? Read
on to find out!

I really like that developers are trying to break out and create new genres of
games. Even though this game is considered an RTS by nature, it really doesn’t
play like one at all. Since players don’t have to worry about heavy resource
management, players will be able to focus all their time on strategies on taking
the enemy out, but this comes at a cost. Since players don’t have the ability to
create units on the fly anymore, they will have to treat every member of the
team like gold. If you lose one unit, it really could mean the difference
between failure and success.

Players still command a small bit of resources, which they get when they capture
bases and other key points in the game. With these points that you receive, you
will be able to spend them on new units. Also if you do lose some precious units
in a battle, you will receive some reinforcements at different times during the
game.

There are two main types of units that players will control in this game:
Infantry and Vehicles. The Infantry are different types of men that can
accomplish a variety of different tasks. The vehicles in this game offer the
same thing, it allows infantry units to fortify in them to get protection from
enemy fire, repair damaged vehicles, and a variety of other things. The mixture
of these units creates the perfect sense of play. There are different formations
that are crucial, in certain formations the units will act differently, because
of positioning and other factors.

The AI in this game is really good. Even though this is still a beta version of
this game, the AI will give players a run for their money. It never feels cheap
when you are deep in battle, and reacts somewhat lifelike by setting up
ambushes, traps, and many other things that you would expect a human player
would do.

The graphics for this game are nothing short of breathtaking!  I was amazed
at how great this game looked, and how it really engulfs players into the war
torn world that the characters live in. While playing through the games’ many
different levels, players will stumble upon many different locations that are
rich with details. In the post-apocalyptic cities, players will see the
buildings are run down, glass is broken, and everything has a burnt look to it.
Other than cities, players will get to go through forests, deserts, and many
other nature environments that appear to be so real!

This game even includes weather effects, and the different weather conditions
will hamper your military force. For instance, when it is raining, it will slow
down your troop’s movements and also hamper their field of vision. Just like in
real life the weather can change in an instant, so not only will players have to
worry about the enemies ambushing them, they will also have to factor in that
the weather can change and become another obstacle that they will have to
overcome.

The best thing about this games’ graphics is the control players have with the
camera. The graphics engine lets players see the game from any viewpoint their
little minds can imagine. If you want to look at a specific building, they can
zoom in on it, and rotate the camera a full 360 degrees so they can look at it
in all of its 3D glory. If you need to check out the entire map to make your
next move, then you can zoom out, and check out the majority of the map.

It is this kind of control that really helps get the players engulfed into this
game. Players can zoom out and check out a route they want to go to. Then they
zoom down to ground level and walk with the troops, all of a sudden you get
ambushed, so while your guys are fighting, you must think of an alternate route
if the enemies are starting to out gun you. This game is a strategy enthusiast’s
diamond mine!

So far this game is shaping up to be something very special. When Ground Control
II: Operation Exodus is finally released you will want to get your hands on this
gem as soon as you can.

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Previews