Ground Control II: Operation Exodus - Australian Preview (Preview)

Chris Stead, GamePro Australia

18/05/2004 12:26:21

Not a lot as been going on in the world of the RTS. The genre’s leading players (Westwood, Ensemble Studios and Blizzard) have seemingly been content to sit back and amass armies of ideas and concepts rather than launch them forward through the cluttered map which is current gaming climate. From behind the fog of war has emerged Ground Control II – a sequel to 2000’s well received original and a title which marks a genuine attempt to redefine the genre. Could this be the RTS that breathes life back into a flagging genre?

The signs are definitely promising. Australian GamePro was lucky enough to get an early look at this title and from the outset it appears remarkably different from anything its aging competition has to offer. Just check out the level design – beautifully 3D, you can take a god-like view of the massing armies or zoom right down to ground level where individual sprites battle it out and geographical obstructions loom menacingly in your peripherals. It brings a tremendous amount of scope to the gameplay and as you watch an artillery unit thunder mortars in a long arc towards the oncoming opposition, while bullets and explosions pierce the surreal symphony of space, you feel like a commander-in-chief and a regular grunt, all at once.

The story of GCII launches you 737 years into human history and into the boots of one Captain Jacob Angelus. He is an integral part of the Northern Star Alliance and their attempts to stave off an invasion of their home planet, Morningstar Prime, by two separate factions – the human Terran Empire and the mysterious alien Virons. Progressing via cinematics, GCII promises to immerse gamers in its deep sci-fi mythology which follows 300 years after the original title. Naturally, each faction will vary in units, arsenal and game-style, while the diverse landscapes (we saw snow, desert, forest, city and water-based maps) will echo the planet’s war-torn existence.

There also seems to be an increased impetuous on each individual unit, as opposed to the army as a whole. If you need reinforcements you can’t just make more, instead you must call in dropships which will not only unload their valuable cargo, but dish out some covering fire as well. Once on the ground, the environment will directly affect gameplay. You can use buildings and vegetation to increase cover, use high points such as mountains to increase line of sight and changes in weather will affect a unit’s performance. On top of this you can call in air strikes, or drop strategic equipment such as radars by parachute onto key geographical locations. In another unique twist, similar Viron units can be merged, creating a new and improved super-unit capable of greater fire power and with thicker skins.

However, it’s in the multiplayer arena where GCII shines. Gamers will be able to tackle the single player campaign through co-op, as well as drop in and out of battles at any time, just like an FPS. What’s the major benefit of this? You can play an RTS online without spending an eon pissing about in lobbies seeking compatible, reliable opposition - yay to that!

GCII could very well be the RTS than non-RTSers play. There is definitely a greater mainstream appeal to the action, allowing you to get down and dirty with your troops and view the war your conducting form the dead-eyes of the enemy you just annihilated. Also, GCII removes the time-consuming settlement construction and adds drop-in multiplayer – two points more in sync with gaming 2004. Is it time to get excited about RTSs again? Why not?